


A little love would make things better

by scurvycorn



Category: Blur (Band)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-10-17 19:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17566298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scurvycorn/pseuds/scurvycorn
Summary: Something new and different starts when Damon is forced to work with Graham for a group project.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is all thanks to my lovely and wonderful friend @blur_obsessed! <33

"Graham, you can work with..." 

Graham crossed his fingers and closed his eyes very tightly. There were three people left. And the teacher had yet to choose which one would work with Graham. Among those three people was Damon, Graham's, not really but still, greatest enemy. Not really enemy per se, but Graham really feared him. Damon occasionally pushed Graham around, made fun of him, teased him and would spread fake rumors about him. He'd been bullied before but, it wasn't as much as Damon did to him. Luckily, Damon was a year older than him and Graham didn't have to see him in every one of his classes. Unfortunately, they still did Music class together since it wasn't based on grade level, it was rather based on skill.

"Graham you can work with Damon," Said the teacher as the last two remaining students paired up.

Graham groaned and silently cursed at himself. He then raised his head and pulled a fake smile. "Great, I can't wait," He managed to get out of his mouth. He turned around to look at Damon, who was eyeing him all evil like the whole time. Graham didn't want to be rude or threatening so he smiled a waved at him. Damon rolled his eyes and pulled a middle finger at him, mouthing 'Wanker' at the younger boy. Graham quickly turned back around and sighed. He's in for a long one.

After school, Graham waited for Damon by the gates because he usually saw Damon walking this way when he was going home. As he predicted, Damon came marching out of the school doors at the said time. The younger boy sniffed and nervously shuffled towards Damon.

"What do you want arsehole?" Damon grunted, not stopping to even look at Graham.

"I uh, was just wondering..." Graham was practically shaking. A wrong move and his face would be busted and blue any second now. "Since we're working on, uh, the project together... Maybe I could come to your house on Saturday and work on it?"

Damon cocks his eyebrow.

"Or you could come to my house! Whichever you want! I really d-don't mind as long as we get the assignment done," Graham stutters.

"You can come to mine this week," Damon, without batting an eye, says.

Graham smiles and adjusts his glasses on his face. "Great, so I'll see you on Saturday then-"

Damon suddenly slaps Graham behind the head and trips him. He nonchalantly continues walking and shouts out, "Whatever fuckface, as long as you get me a good grade,"

Pushing himself off of the ground and rubbing the back of his head, Graham shakily stands up and puts his glasses back on. He's trying to handle the situation as best and as calmly as he can but it's only going to take a little bit more teasing and bullying from Damon to push him off the edge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My bois I'm so sorry for the laaaaaate update I didn't really have tests or anything but I was just lazy lmao,,anyway I hope yall enjoy this cringeworthy chapter, the next update will come sooner I promise! :)))))))

"Hello, Mrs. Albarn, is Damon home?" Graham politely asks as Damon's mother opens the door for him ever so gently. She smiles when she sees a nicely dressed boy with the sweetest looking face ever standing on her porch.

"Oh, hello. And you are?" Damon's mother asks.

Graham clears his throat and tightly holds onto the strap of his backpack. How could he have forgotten to introduce himself? "Oh right, sorry. I'm Graham, Graham Coxon." He held out a hand towards the woman, to which he gladly shook.

"Ah okay. Nice to meet you, Graham. I'm Mrs. Albarn but you can call me Hazel. You're here for Damon right?" 

"Yes, I am. Is he home? If he's not then I can come back another time, it's just that we need to work on this music project together and-" Graham starts off.

Hazel sighs and shakes her head in disappointment. "Of course, Damon never told me anything about a music project. But, yes he's home, come in, come in!" Graham steps into the house and politely takes his shoes off, setting them to the corner. Hazel is impressed with the boy's manners and wishes her own son could be like Graham. "Damon should be upstairs in his room, go on ahead. It's the one with the blue door. Oh, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, I'll be in the kitchen."

Graham smiles and nods, climbing up the stairs. As he reaches said blue door, his stomach starts churning and turning as if he was getting sick. He ignores the feeling and slowly knocks on the door. "Uh, Damon, hello. It's me, Graham, I'm here to work on the project with you." Nothing comes from the other side of the wooden door so he knocks again, this time, a bit louder and faster. "Damon? Uh, can I come in?" He repeats. Still nothing. As Graham is about to knock one last time, the door swings open, throwing Graham for a loop.

"Oh, it's you," Damon says bitterly. "Come in, don't touch anything though." 

Graham pulls himself together and steps into Damon's room. It's kinda like his room except, there's a lot more posters and a bit less messy than Graham's. Overall, it's a pretty nice room. Graham awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, waiting for Damon to say something. "So are we getting to work or not?" Damon snarls, sitting at his desk and leaning way too far back.

"O-oh yes, sorry, let me just get my stuff outta my bag a-and we can start..." The younger boy stutters as he shuffles through his bag, looking for his music folders and notebooks. As Graham searches, Damon just stares at him from his little corner. Damon looks at every inch of him; Graham's hair, his eyes, his hands, his knees, everywhere. The younger boy tries to ignore the other's eyes as he sets his work down on the desk in front of Damon. "So I started working on it last night, I thought we could get a bit of a head start you know?" Graham chuckles but as soon as he sees that Damon isn't amused he nervously pulls a serious face again.

"What exactly is the project? I wasn't listening in class," Damon confesses, scanning through Graham's music notebook.

"Oh, right. We just basically have to identify the instruments that are used in the song we chose and write a bit of information about the instruments. It's not that hard really," Graham explains while showing Damon some of the work he got done last night. "And then we just have to make a presentation based off of what we found and done and stuff,"

The blond boy places the notebook on his desk and sighs. "I really don't care but, what song did you choose?"

"Well, I, uh- I don't know if you'll like it but, uh, I chose something fairly easy. It's by The Kinks actually, You Really Got Me? You know that song right?"

For a brief second, Damon's eyes light up. The Kinks? Graham was really into The Kinks? Maybe he wasn't that big of a loser, Damon thought to himself. "Okay, let's get to work before it gets too late,"

"Okay, I brought my record player so we can listen to the song while we're working. Do you mind if I put it on your desk there?" Graham asks. He takes his sweater off and sets it to the side. It was getting a little toasty for some reason.

"Uh, yeah sure, go ahead, I don't care. The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can stop talking to each other," Damon rudely says. Graham felt a tad bit hurt at that comment but it wasn't like Damon was his friend or anything. So it didn't get to him that much. They soon got to work. They didn't really talk to each other but by the end of the day, they got most of their work done. Graham was proud. Proud at how much they managed to get done despite not being too fond of each other's presence. even Damon was impressed. Not at the quality of work. No, he was impressed because he managed to stay on task for once. If he was partnered up with anyone else, Damon was sure he wouldn't have gotten this much work done. He felt proud too. Graham glanced at his watch.

"I better get going, it's almost suppertime," He says as he gathers all of his stuff and shoves it into his backpack. Except for the record player which he carefully and gently tucks in the bigger pocket. "Uh, y-you can come to my house next time so we can finish the rest if you don't mind," Graham smiles. Damon doesn't bat an eye and nods, uninterested. "You just have to take a left turn once you get to the main street, my house is the one with all the vines and stuff. It was nice working with you, bye," 

And just like that Graham hurries out of the room leaving Damon by himself. The blond sighs and throws himself onto his bed. There were a million thoughts running through his head at the moment. Graham actually seems like a decent person, he thinks to himself. But Damon wasn't going to take any chances. He wasn't really the type of person to make friends anyway. Damon's eyes shift to something, bright blue, laying on the last shelf of his bookshelf. He gets up to examine it and as he picks it up, he realizes it's Graham's sweater. He must have forgotten it then. For reasons unexplained, Damon buries his face into the soft, wooly fabric. It smelled of peppermint and laundry detergent. What a pleasant smell. His face remains buried in the sweater as he hears his mom calling him from downstairs.

"Damon! Supper time! It's meatloaf, your favorite!" Haze shouts from the kitchen.

"Coming mum!" Damon runs to his bed and tucks the sweater beneath his pillow before racing out of his room and downstairs.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> my schedule was free so I wrote the third chapter asap! enjoy! :)

The following Monday, Graham wakes up later than usual. For some strange reason, he didn't feel quite right. His head felt very hot and it was pounding, his stomach was twisting and turning and when he tried to stand up, he felt very lightheaded and unbalanced. So as soon as he got up, he fell back onto his bed and sighed in pain. Not long after, his mother came knocking at his door.

"Graham? Darling, wake up, you're going to be late for school," His mom called out as she quietly stepped into her son's room. 

Graham turned towards her and groaned. "M-mum, I don't feel so well,"

Pauline sits on the side of her son's bed and places a hand on his forehead. She felt Graham's temperature rising. "Ah okay, you _are_ sick. You temperature feels very high and warm. I guess you'll have to stay home today dear,"

Graham felt a wave of relief roll over him. He didn't have to go to school today so that was perfect. But he had music today and he didn't want to be absent for that class. And also, Damon was probably going to be very teed off when he saw that Graham wasn't in his usual seat today. He would have to explain everything to Damon when he got back to school today.

*

It was around 3:30 pm and Graham was resting in bed after a long day of being sick and doing nothing. He was about to fall asleep when he heard his mother knocking on his door.

"Graham, can I come in?" She asks.

"Yeah, come in mum,"

Pauline quietly opens the door and smiles. "How are you holding up?"

"M'fine. I still have that headache though but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. I took the Tylenol you gave me earlier,"

"Good. Oh and, there is somebody looking for you downstairs," 

Graham is confused. Who could be looking for him? He had friends but they never really came over to his house that much. Unless someone was here to bring him the homework from the past day. But who could it possibly be? "Really? Who is it?"

His mom narrows her eyes, attempting to remember the name the person gave to her. "Damien? No, Damon, he told me his name was Damon. Apparently, you forgot your sweater at his house the other day, he just wanted to bring it back for you. And he says he's here to bring you the music homework too,"

"Oh, can you let him in then?" Graham asks. He was surprised Damon would come all this way just to give him his sweater and some lousy homework.

"Okay, but don't be too loud."

Less than a minute goes by and Damon comes stomping into Graham's room. He gently closes the door behind him and pulls out a few papers out of his bag. "I brought you the music homework. And your sweater. You left it at my house last week so when you didn't come to school today, I figured I just bring it to you at your house," Damon's face was quite unreadable. His eyebrows were furrowed and he had a neutral expression. Well, at least it was better than getting pushed around.

Graham gladly received the homework and the sweater, putting it to the side of his bed. "Oh, thank you. But you really didn't have to, but thank you anyway,"

Damon rolling his eyes heads for the door. "Whatever twat, get better soon I guess,"

Graham smiles. "Okay, ta," Damon was getting somewhat nicer "Bye."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is longer than the other ones but wait! Here is where the REAL stuff starts picking up uwu...

"He seems nice, Damon, the boy that came and gave you your sweater and homework yesterday. Is he a friend?"

"No, not really. We're just in the same music class and working on a project together. I don't really know if we're friends or not cause we barely even talk to each other outside of class," Graham takes a big bite out of his toast as he zips up his jacket.

"Well, he seems fairly nice. Now hurry along Graham, you're going to be late to school if you don't leave now," His dad says. Graham throws his backpack on and heads for the front door.

"Bye mum, bye dad!" He closes the door and hurries down the country road. By the time he makes it to school, Graham has about twenty minutes to spare before class. He plans on spending the whole time in the Library reading books and getting some homework done. Unfortunately for him, the main hallway is blocked by some kind of commotion. And as much as Graham didn't want to be involved, he couldn't help but gather around the crowd. He could really see but there was yelling and fighting.

"You fucking fag! I thought I told you to stay away from my girlfriend! Why the bloody hell would you need to get off with girls when you're clearly the biggest dike of this fucking school?" A rough voice came from the center of the crowd followed by what sounded like punching and screams. "Get off me you twat! Get off me or I'll slug ya in the face again!"

Graham squeezed through the sea of students and finally made his way to the front. What was happening before him made his stomach tighten. 

"Like you have the nerve to actually do that Michael you tosser! I didn't do anything, I didn't even lay a single fucking finger on your bird! What can you not understand you daft minded sod?" Damon lets out a shriek, followed by a punch to his face. Micheal, the local school bully had pinned Damon don against his locker and clearly, had done some damage to his face. After a couple of more punches from Michael, he finally let go of Damon, letting him drop to the floor. The student body quickly scatters away as Michael stormed down the hallways. Everyone was gone with the blink of an eye, not wanting to get involved. Everyone except Graham, who awkwardly stood there in front of Damon, shaking.

Damon sniffs, wipes the blood off his lip with his arm and cringes when his wounds start to sting from the contact. He can see Graham staring at him but he prefers to just keep to himself. Or so he thought. "What? You going to make fun of me?" 

Graham gulps. He had no intention of doing that. "N-no, I, uh...I just wanted to see if y-you were okay!" He blurts out. Damon all of the sudden feels his heart swell up. There was just something about Graham that made him feel different inside. "Uh, sorry...for all of this," Graham flailed his arms around like a maniac.

"I'm fine. I just need to use the loo and clean myself up. It's not like I haven't been in a fight before." Damon attempts to get up but he slips back down as soon as he stands on his feet. Luckily, Graham grabs hold of his arm before Damon can hit the ground. "Right. Thanks," The older boy says. Damon feels very embarrassed to be in this position right now.

Damon stands on his two feet and leans against the lockers. He was obviously in pain but he didn't want to show it. Graham didn't really know or understand why though. "Um, do you...do you need help cleaning up? I've got some bandages in my backpack,"

"Why have you got bandages in your bag?" The blond scoffs, feeling the area around his eye. It wasn't too swollen. Nothing he couldn't get over in a few hours.

The younger boy looks at his shoes as he picks with his fingernails. "Well, uh, my mum put them there actually. J-just in case, I get hurt or something..." The two stand there awkwardly for a few seconds before Damon decides to start walking to the bathroom to clean himself up. Graham hesitates at first, but he eventually starts following and catches up to the olde teen in a few seconds.

"You don't have to do this. Or try to be friends with me." Damon says.

"Oh...I jus' wanna help, really. Your wounds seem to look very serious that's all..." Graham follows Damon into the restroom, opening his bag and setting the box of bandaids next t the sink where Damon started to wash his face. The older boy hisses when the cold water makes contact with the cuts on his face. He was doing it all wrong. Graham grabs a few paper towels, runs them under a little bit of water and hands them to Damon. "It's less painful if you use these to clean up. Just carefully dab over the cuts and clean around them,"

Damon had exactly three cuts on his face. One on his cheek, another one under his chin and the last one, which wasn't that visible, on his forehead. His lip and nose were bleeding but it wasn't that bad. When he finished cleaning the blood off his face, Graham handed him the bandaids. "These should protect them from getting infected for a few hours. Just, uh...put some rubbing alcohol on the cuts when you get home. Or you could go to the nurse, either way."

Damon looked at himself in the mirror as he stuck the bandages on his face. Luckily, they weren't too big so Damon didn't look as dodgy as he thought he would. When he finished putting the on he looks in the mirror one last time, adjusting his hair and sighing.

As they get out of the bathroom, Graham feels weird. It felt strange not getting pushed around by Damon. It felt very strange. He was in the middle of his thoughts when Damon spoke up. "Um, thanks, I guess." He squeaks. He felt as if there was a huge lump in his throat. The kind you get when you're about to cry.

"N-no problem. I just wanted to help, really. And um, do you want to come to my place and finish the project this week? O-or I could come to yours if-"

"Sure, I'll come to yours on Thursday," Damon briskly answers. It feels nice talking to someone like this. Like a friend. Damon didn't really have any friends. He hung out with people but they weren't really friends.

"Okay, sure." Graham looks at his watch. Class starts in five minutes. "I'll see you on Thursday then?"

Damon nods. "Yep."

The younger boy nods back in approval and starts running down the hallway to his locker. "Uh, bye then!"

"Bye," He says softly. 


	5. Chapter 5

Lunchtime came sooner than usual. Graham hurried into the cafeteria with his packed lunch. He rarely ate the food from the cafeteria because he preferred making his own lunch from home. As he set foot into the crowded lunchroom, he exited very quickly. There were little to no spots left to sit at and he never liked sitting with other kids. Graham usually sat by himself, reading a book or doodling in his notebooks. He just preferred keeping to himself most of the time if it wasn't already obvious.

So with the lunchroom crowded, he had no other choice but to go to the one place he knew he would find some peace an quiet. And that one place was the music room. No one was really in there during lunch, before school or after school even though all students were welcome inside the room. Graham drags his feet across the empty hallway floors and eventually, he makes it to the music room. To his surprise, there was someone already there. He knew this because of the trumpet sounds he hears from the door. He takes a peek through the little glass window. The trumpet was coming from someone sat in the middle of the room at one of the tables but he couldn't quite make out who it was because their back was turned. 

As Graham opened the door the person jumped out of their seat in shock a little bit and turned around. The younger boy was surprised to see it was Damon. "What are you doing here?" Damon asks.

"I'm here to eat my lunch. The cafeteria's too rowdy," The younger takes a seat a few tables away from Damon as to not get in his way. Or get insulted. "I-I, uh, hope you don't mind of course,"

Damon shrugs. "S'fine. Whatever,"

Graham takes out his lunch and Damon just stares at him. "How much of a good boy do you have to be to pack your own lunch?" The blond teases. "You're basically all the teachers' favorite student."

"M'not!" The younger boy raises his voice as he takes a bite of his tuna sandwich.

Damon starts to smile. "Yes, you are! You're always getting very good grades and whatnot, I see you participating in extracurriculars like band and art after school, you bring bandaids to school and you pack your own lunch! Of course, you're the favorite, you're the fucking kind of student teachers like the most," He laughs.

Graham turns red. Most of what Damon said was true but he was pretty sure he wasn't a favorite. "That's not true..." He thinks of something he could say to prove his point. "I never really participate in class. I can't be a good student if I don't do that. And I also don't get very good grades. I get good grades."

"And _I_ get decent grades. You're not fooling anyone, good grades or not, you're still a favorite." Damon teases Graham as if they were friends and for just a little minute, it felt as if they were. Graham takes out his sketchbook and starts to draw as he eats his lunch. Damon approaches him and leans on the table, observing Graham as he drew. The younger boy felt very weird. Damon was acting very weird. Why was he being so calm all of a sudden? What happened to all the teasing and pushing around. "You have quite the knack for drawing for someone in year seven," Damon implies, eyes following Graham's pencil.

Graham felt flattered. He never got compliments from people other than his family, teachers, and adults. "Thank you. But, uh...why are y-you being so nice all of the s-sudden? I really thought you d-didn't like me,"

"Right. Sorry about that mate, it was all in good fun. All the teasing and such,"

"Um, it really wasn't..." The younger one mumbles under his breath.

Damon sits across from Graham and pats his fingers on the hard, wooden table surface. "Look, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you or anything, it's just...well...whatever, it's just, I was. I was...I just need a friend okay? Everyone ditched me earlier after what happened this morning. Even the girls, oh the girls!" Damon lightly slams his forehead on the table, running a hand through his hair.

"What exactly happened this morning? I-if you don't mind me asking,"

"Just some stupid rumor about me trying to get off with Michael's bird. Old sod doesn't even know she doesn't like him anymore." Damon rolls his eyes and looks at Graham.

Graham looks back at him. "Well? Did you?"

"Of course not! I know I mess around with girls but not this time!" Damon looks Graham in the eyes. 

"So you need a friend? Is that the only reason you're talking to me?" Graham isn't really surprised. People never talked to him that much anyway. The people that did only wanted something from him like homework or a drawing. 

The blond boy rubs the back of his neck. "Not really. I know I've been mean..."

"You really have."

"But I just...I can't believe I'm saying this but, I'm sorry? For teasing you. You know, all of that stuff I did," Damon cringes as he says the word 'sorry'. It wasn't a word he said or meant that often. But this time, he meant it because really, "I just need a friend, someone to hang out with?"

Graham dragged his pencil across the blank page. He sighs and rubs his eyes. "Uh..." He didn't want to say yes. But he also didn't want to say no. What harm could this cause? After all, Damon _did_ say sorry. He wasn't being a jerk to him. But what Graham didn't understand is why Damon wanted to be friends with _him_. There was nothing special about him. Or so he thought. He made another line on the paper. And another. And another. "Fine. I guess. I don't know. We have to work together for music anyway so I don't see why not..."

Damon emitted a toothy smile. "I promise you won't regret it!" 

Just as Damon finished talking, the lunch bell rang and it was time to go back to class. Graham gathered all of his belongings and shoved them into his backpack. "Uh, I'll see you tomorrow I guess?" He says to Damon. 

Damon nods, putting his trumpet back into its case. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Graham."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6! Finally! I didn't think it would take this long lmao but it's here at last! I'm actually having a lot of fun writing these chapters and coming up with things to include in them! Can't wait to write the next chapter!

It was completely pouring outside. The rain was falling hard. Really hard. It was falling so hard that it would be dangerous for one to walk outside or attempt to drive in the rain. It was Thursday, Damon had come over to Graham's house to finish the rest of their project. The good news is that they got everything done on time. The bad news was that due to the rain, Damon was unable to go home. Graham's mom proposed the idea of Damon staying for the night, to which the blond teen boy kindly accepted. Graham was somewhat okay with it too, Damon wasn't as threatening as he used to.

Right now, Damon was on the phone with his mother, telling her that he would be staying for the night. "Yes, mum, I'll go to bed early or whatever. Yes, Graham's mum is okay with it, I promise. Yeah, love you, bye." He set the phone back and hurried back up to Graham's room. They just had dinner and they had about half an hour before they had to go to bed. Graham was sitting on the edge of his bed, Telecaster in hand.

"Woah! You have your own guitar?" Damon beamed. He was honestly amazed. He didn't know that there was more to Graham than good grades and all. 

Graham softly nods, smiling. "Yeah, I got it almost a year ago for my 12th birthday. I've been playing it ever since." He strums a few strings. "Although, I'm not that good. I'm better with acoustic,"

"Why don't you bring it to school?" Damon asks. "Are you scared that it'll get damaged?"

"No, it's just too much to be carrying around all day, and I walk to school so it will probably slow me down a bit too,"

Damon sits on the bed by Graham. "Well, can you play something? Anything? I want to hear you play if you don't mind,"

Graham never plays his Telecaster in front of anyone but his mother, father, and sister. He knows that they like the way he plays and his music but apart from them, no one else even knows that Graham has his own guitar. His father always tells him that he's talented and that he could go somewhere with his skills but Graham just prefers not thinking that far ahead yet. After all, he was just thirteen. "Uh, well, I d-don't usually play for people if that's okay,"

"It's fine if you don't want to really, I'm not going to force you to," Damon plays with the end of his shirt. Graham gets up to put his guitar away and when he comes back, they sit in silence for a few minutes. Graham stares at Damon. To him, the older teen boy was a complete mystery. His emotions changed very fast, he was eccentric and just...queer. Of course, Graham wasn't going to tell him any of this. For all, he knew he could get punched in the face. So he decided to just stay quiet and get along with Damon for now.

Suddenly, Damon jolts backward and lays in the bed. "Say, Graham?"

The brunette snaps out of his thoughts and quickly turns to Damon. "Y-yes?"

"How come I never see you at dances or football games at school? Everyone is always there but, uh, I never see you," Damon points out. 

Graham frowns. "Why are you the one always asking the questions? I have some too you know?"

Softly laughing, Damon smiles and looks the other boy in the eyes. "Fine. How about this? From now own, for every question I ask you, you get to ask me one. So can you answer mine before you get to yours?"

"I-I don't know really. Social gatherings aren't really my thing you know? I never liked being in a room full of people I don't know. And besides, everyone at the dances and games has dates. W-who would want to ask me out?" He answers, biting at his fingernails. "My turn. Why are you being nice to me?"

"Because you've made me realize how wrong I was to pick at you. Also because I felt how it was to get teased when I got fucked up by Michael the other day. Ta for the bandages by the way," Damon swiftly answers. He feels his forehead with his fingers. "N' my scars are healing up very nicely too. My turn now, Who's your best friend?"

Graham hesitates on this one a bit. "Well...I don't... I don't have a bets friend-d, I mean I do b-but...he just doesn't talk to me anymore. So I don't have a best friend..." He looks down at his feet. "What about you?"

Matthew had been a very good friend of Graham's since they were in 1st grade. They had the same interest and they did everything together. It was when they went into 6th grade that everything started falling apart. He doesn't really talk to this with anyone but their whole friendship was tearing when Graham started to notice that Matthew had been acting a bit...strange. He suddenly wanted to hold hands and hug Graham even more than usual. Personally, Graham himself was fine with this, he never minded so he didn't say anything for a long while. But towards the end of their first year of middle school, he started to hear the rumors. Bad rumors, and because of these rumors, they could no longer be friends. Graham prefers to never talk about it ever again but he just thinks about how things went very wrong on some days.

"If you haven't noticed already," Damon starts with a chuckle. "Everyone hates me already so the answer must be no right? I've never really had friends. I mean I have but not _real_ friends at least. I'm just glad you can kinda relate to how I feel,"

"Yeah, I guess," Graham smiles at Damon, proud of the progress they've made so far. They talk for a few more minutes, about school mostly and friends before Graham's dad comes knocking at the door. 

"Boys? It's time to head off to bed I believe. Graham do you have any clothes that Damon could wear to bed?" His dad creaks the door open and peaks his head through the little space with a gentle smile. 

The younger boy hops off his bed and opens his closet. "Oh yeah, I must have something in here that would fit..." He says as he vigorously rummages through his clothes.

"Great, head off to bed soon yeah? Love you," Mr. Coxon gently closes the door behind him.

Graham eventually hands a pair of PJ pants and a loose fitting shirt to Damon. "I hope these aren't too small for you, they're the biggest things I could find in my wardrobe. The bathroom is down the hallway if you need to cha-"

Just before he can finish his words, Damon takes his shirt off. Graham stares, even though he knows that he shouldn't be. Damon puts Graham's shirt on and changes into the pants all on the spot. The younger boy was amazed. Not by Damon's body- even though he did look kinda good- but Graham was amazed by the courage that Damon had to just take his shirt off in front of him like that. Graham never changes in his room, not even with the door closed. He would always go and change in the bathroom no matter what. 

"It's just a teeny bit small but it fits nice and snug!" Damon smiles a toothy smile, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair.

"O-oh! S'great! Let me just go change into my pajamas and we c-can go to bed! I'll be right back!" Graham grabs his clothes and zips in and out of the bathroom before Damon even knows it. When he comes back, Damon is staring out the window, looking at the heavy rain outside. Graham puts his previous clothes in the dirty hamper and joins Damon by the windowsill.

"Something wrong?" He asks the older boy.

Damon shakes his head no. "I'm just listening to the rain, haha. Is it time for bed now?"

"Yeah," Graham was uneasy about the idea of someone else sleeping in his bed but his parents told him that he couldn't just tell Damon to sleep downstairs. After all, his family always believed in hospitality. And plus, the living room was freezing colder than the rest of the rooms so Damon would probably freeze to death. "I brought extra pillows and blankets so just make yourself comfortable."

The two boys climb into Graham's bed. They are a bit cramped but at least it's enough to fit two people. Graham turns to his side, facing away from Damon because he didn't want to make awkward eye contact at the moment. But he was tired and he could tell that Damon was too due to the countless number of times he's yawned in the past few minutes. So Graham decides to turn the lights off. But not before making sure with Damon. "Do you want the lights on or off?"

The older boys respond with another yawn. "Off ould be lovely, thank you,"

"Okay, g'night...Damon."

"You too, Graham."

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof this chapter was very hard for me to write I don't know why but it just was. Anyway, enjoy! Chapter eight is on its way!  
> P.S if anything is not clear or if you have any questions about the fic, don't hesitate to ask them in the comments! :

Everything was dank and gloomy. The rain had done its damage all right. It was Friday afternoon about half an hour after school and to his surprise, Graham found himself taking the bus home with Damon. There were broken branches and huge puddles of water outside so it would have been a bit uncomfortable and dangerous for them to walk home. 

"What's with the sad face Graham? You've been like this all day," Damon points out as he looks out the window.

Right now, Graham preferred to not talk about it. He's been dreading this day for months and months coming now and it was finally here. "O-oh, I'm just, uh, tired. It's been a really long day and I just wanna go home and rest for a bit,"

Damon faces the younger boy and smiles. "Graham, you don't have to lie about it you know, you could have just said that you didn't want to talk about it. But I'm just asking if everything is okay, that's all,"

Amazed with Damon's ability to read his mind, Graham decides he might as well fess up. He needed to tell someone at least. "W-well, you see. My parents thought it would be a good idea if I got braces b-but, the thing is, I don't want to. I already look bad as it is, but with braces, I'll look even more hideous than I am," He squeaks, feeling a large lump in his throat.

"Blasphemy!" Damon shouts.

"Blasphemy?"

"Blasphemy Graham! Do you hear what you're saying? You're not ugly, you're one of the best looking blokes I've ever seen, seriously, what's a set of braces going to do to you? And it's worth it at the end cause then you get to have straight teeth, and then all the girls will be swarming around you, trust me!" Damon didn't really mean the part with the girls but he did mean everything when he said that Graham was one of the best looking blokes he'd ever seen.

Graham looks at Damon was a bit of hope in his eyes. "You think so?"

"Of course I do!" 

Before the younger boy could even say anything else, the bus came to a stop at his house. "Oh, here's my stop," He hastily grabs his backpacks and starts heading out of the vehicle. "I'll see you on Monday Damon!"

"Bye Graham!" Damon shouts out from the far end of the bus, waving at his friend through the window.

*

Monday comes sooner than anticipated and Graham is nervous to show himself at school. As he walks towards the front gate, Damon is there waiting for him all jumpy and excited. This makes Graham even more nervous, seeing Damon like this.

"So, can I see them?" Damon runs to Graham even before he makes it to the gate. 

The younger boy turns pink and turns his head away from Damon, looking at his shoes and tightly gripping onto the straps of his backpack. 

"Aw, come on Graham, I promise I won't make fun of you no matter how bad it looks. Although, I doubt it looks bad at all," Damon insists. "Just a little smile? A grin? Just for me, Damon, your friend?"

Graham shakes his head and starts walking into the main building. Classes were about to start so he best be on his way anyway. Damon runs up, catching up to him quickly. "Please? I'll do anything you want Graham, I just want to see you smile! I've never seen you smile. Wait, that's not true but you know what I mean. Even if you don't want to show me you're going to have to show the whole class anyway cause we have our music presentation first thing today!"

He completely forgot. Their presentation was today! Such bad timing this was, he was going to have to speak in front f the whole class! And the worst part was that there were people in higher grades in his class, he was about to make such a great fool out of himself. Unless he could somehow get Damon to present the whole thing but that would result in Graham getting a bad grade. Oh, he was done for. He might as well just give up and talk to Damon. 

Before he speaks, he pulls the older teen into an empty hallway. Looking Damon in the eyes, Graham pulls a shaky, weak smile. "There. Are you happy?"

"Very. I think your braces look quite lovely on you," The blond purrs, making Graham blush a little.

"T-thanks," They stand in silence for a few minutes before Graham decides to pull them to class. 

*

To sum everything up, the class presentation went well. It didn't go perfectly because Graham refused to fully open his mouth and articulate his words, but they did complete the required task and got a passing grade. Right now, Graham was in P.E class, which he hated because they were out in the open this class. He wasn't the best athlete but he always tried his hardest and got decent grades. 

Damon was in math class at the same moment and from where he was sat, he could see Graham out the window. The teacher was talking about functions and equations or something but he wasn't listening. He looked at Graham running across the field, frequently stopping to catch his breath. Damon would rather be outside with his new friend than in this boring math class right now. 

"Mr. Albarn! Please pay attention up front instead of looking out the window. You'll need to know all of this for the test in a few weeks and if you don't know it then you'll blow the test!" The teacher shouts from the front of the classroom.

Damon silently cusses and rolls his eyes, looking away from the window. "Yes sir,"

 


	8. Chapter 8

It was the end of the day. Everyone was rushing through the hallways, in their little groups of friends and people. Some students were by themselves reading books, walking home or hanging out by the field. Damon found himself in the art room with Graham, who had an extracurricular today. The young boy was planning out a painting while Damon quietly sat beside him, watching his every move. Graham didn't know what to paint so he had a hard time starting. 

"What are you going to paint?" Damon impatiently asks, staring at the blank canvas.

Graham bobs his head to the side, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. I wanna paint a portrait, but I don't know who I should paint that's the problem,"

Damon thinks for a bit and not long after, an idea starts buzzing into his head."You should paint _me_!" He shouts out.

"You? Are you sure, I'm not the best painter and-"

"Oh, nonsense Graham, stop doubting yourself! I've seen your paintings in the art shows at school, stop lying to me you're a great painter!" Damon never liked the art shows but his parents always forced him and his sister to attend them every few months. Most of the things were rubbish in his eyes but Graham's art always stuck out for some reason. He remembered when he saw a portrait of Bowie that Graham did last year, it wasn't perfect but it really did pop out from all the others. "Here, I'll even pose for you!"

Graham giggles. "There's no need to pose Damon, just sit how you'd normally sit and look at me," He starts sketching out Damon's face onto the blank canvas, it takes him a few tries to get his nose right though. Damon really did have a perfect and pointy nose. By the time he got most of his face drawn out, it was time to go home. He put his canvas away and headed out of the art room, followed by Damon as they walked home together.

"Hey so, I was thinking we could go to the lake tomorrow?" The blond suggests. Graham looks at him in surprise.

"Why would we need to go to the lake?"

"Well, it's been hot lately and I was just thinking we could go for a swim. You do know how to swim yeah?" Damon looks up into the empty sky. There were not that many clouds today and the air was dry. A bit too dry in his opinion.

The younger boy smiles. "Yeah, I do. But why the lake? Couldn't we just go to the pool?"

"Too many people. Besides, the lake is a natural source of water, none of that chlorine stuff." Damon runs in front of Graham and grabs hangs onto a pole swinging around it. "Tomorrow's a day off so I just thought we could chill and hang out a bit,"

"Oh okay, I'll tell my mom then,"

*

Graham stood by the edge of the pier, looking down into the turquoise water. "Do you think it's cold? I think it's cold, I'm not going in."

"Well, you don't have to, you could just dip your feet in the water. But I'm going in because it's very hot out today." Damon pulls his shirt off and dives into the water, making a huge splash. He sinks to the bottom of the water before slowly floating back up to the surface. "It's not that cold Graham. I'm pretty sure you'll be okay," Damon pants as he treads in the water.

Graham looks at the water once more, then looks at Damon. "Uh, I think I'll be fine yeah,"

"Aw c'mon Grem," Damon groans.

The younger boy looks at him, puzzled. "Grem? Who's Grem?"

Damon just laughs as he swims around in the water. "You silly! You're Grem! It's a nickname I thought of actually. Well, I thought of a lot actually like, Grem, Gray, Grammy, Grahammy,"

"Grahammy! You're _not_ calling me that! Christ Damon," Graham shouted as he turned pink. "If you're going to call me Grem, Gray or whatever then I'm going to call you...uh...Day! Dames? Well whatever, I'll call you both! Just to show you how it feels!" And finally, just to show Damon he wasn't a coward, he jumped into the water, with his shirt on of course, and started splashing waves of water onto Damon.

"Graham, Graham, Graham look!" Damon swims around him.

The brunette stops splashing water and spins to look at Damon. "What?"

"You're in the water!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not much today, I've got tests and projects due this week :/


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Also, I want to say that for those of you that used to follow me on my fan page on Instagram, I'm sorry to say that my account is no longer. It was a HUGE distraction for me because lately I've been having a lot of tests/exams/projects and I could never get them done on time due to the constant notifications/comments/dms that I always had to reply to. It's almost the end of the year and I want to get my grades together a bit. I'm very sorry for doing this! :(  
> On the flip side, I will always be active on my Tumblr (which is https://mildremedy.tumblr.com/) and here on Ao3! I'm very sorry and I hope you guys will be able to understand.

The following week was very stressful. Exams here and exams there. Graham was fine because he knew the basic information that there was to know but Damon was stressed out. And he was never stressed out. Currently, Damon was up in his bedroom, studying like there was no tomorrow. He sat at his messy desk, reading over his scribbled notes and textbooks. A quiet knock forced him to get up and open his bedroom door. He was surprised to see that it was Graham.

"Hey," The younger boy greets.

"Oh, hi Graham! What are you doing here?" Damon asks, confused about his sudden presence. "Not that I mind or anything,"

Graham lets himself in. "I thought you could use some help studying. I've noticed you've been stressed all week long. Well, I haven't really seen you that is..."

Damon rubs a hand along his neck. "Yeah, I've been cramming a lot these past few days. My folks say if I fail an exam, I'll be grounded for a whole month. Thing is, I haven't been doing the best at school. Lately,"

"A-and I guess that's what I'm here for then?" 

"Aw thanks, Grem, s'really nice of you. But let me warn you, I'm hopeless at this point,"

The younger boy scoffs as he checks out what Damon was currently studying. "I'm pretty sure you aren't Damon,"

"I'm just very scared cause if I don't pass, I won't move on to high school next year. I'll be stuck with all those pesky 7th graders,"

"Hey!"

Damon laughs in apology. "Sorry, not you. You're not pesky."

"Whatever. I suggest we should start now? It's a quarter past 4 and my mum wants me home for supper in two hours. That'll give us plenty of time."

"Okay. You take the lead,"

*

Graham left at around 6 pm as intended. He and Damon made some outstanding progress and Damon was actually not as hopeless as he said he was. Luckily for him, he also learned a few things that would become handy for next year.

As he walked home, Graham observed the lovely Colchester weather. It was early-May and it was very lovely out. The wind blew through the trees, making the leaves rustle on the branches. The sun was also setting, giving the whole environment as a pinkish-reddish tint that he loved very much. 

Just as he was walking down the main street, he spotted a couple of familiar faces on the other side of the pavement. He squinted his eyes to get a better look but it was all just a distant blur to him. Graham was focusing so much on the blurred figures that he didn't even see the sign in front of him. The poor boy aggressively bumped into the pole and fell down backward. As he tried to get up as regain his balance, Graham heard laughter and loud voices coming closer and closer to him.

Looking behind him and shakily standing on his two feet, the faces of the figures finally came into focus. The first boy, he didn't really know but saw him hanging around after school sometimes. The second boy was an 8th grader named Laurie but call him that and you've ordered yourself a pound in the face. He preferred to be called Louis or something like that. And finally, the last boy he knew all too well. Micheal. Micheal Richardson, infamous school bully. A sudden wave of fear crashed onto Graham and he immediately began walking. He could still hear the snickers and gags following him.

It wasn't until he was almost at his own home that he heard his name being called.

"Graham! Doll, how are you?" Suddenly, all three boys surround him. They all had intimidating looks. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!" Micheal continues, snaking an arm around Graham's shoulder. He was shaking and very scared, Graham was frozen and had no idea what to do. "Funny seeing you alone like this. Where is Damon? Oh wait, or should I say... your _boyfriend_?

"Wha-" Before he could even say anything, he was pinned on the ground with a hand covering his mouth. Graham's eyes teared up as he saw his life flashing before his eyes.

One of the three boys, the one he didn't know, kneeled down next to him and poked his eye. "Listen here, you poof. You're going to tell your boyfriend that we don't know what he's up to, but he better not be planning anything funny alright?"

Graham attempts to say something but his words were muffled.

"Got it? Tell him we don't want any funny business! Understand?!"

Micheal let go of him and Graham got up running and crying. He heard them laughing as he ran inside his house through the back door. Once inside, he bolted up the stairs and into his room without saying hello to anyone, slamming the door behind him.

The young boy felt hot tears running down his cheeks as he sat in the corner of his room with his knees pulled to his chest. His breathing was unsteady and his heart was pounding fast.

"Graham! Supper's ready!" His sister Haley entered his room without knocking like she always did. But this time, her heart sank when she saw her little brother curled up in a corner crying. She ran over to him to comfort him immediately. She knelt down in front of him, attempting to lift his face from his arms. "Graham. Graham what's wrong?"

But she got no response from him. Haley figured it was something serious. She'd seen Graham cry a few times before but he'd always been responsive. "Graham, come on, don't cry, you can tell me. I'll keep it a secret, really, I promise,"

When he still doesn't say anything, she decides to leave him be. For now. "Okay then, I'll tell mum and dad that you went to bed early or something. But, if you feel better in the morning, then you can always tell me if you feel like it yeah?"

Finally, she gets a small nod from her brother.

"Great." Haley leaves his room and closes the door.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :/ been listening to blue jeans a lot lately...

The following morning, Graham was awoken to the sound of his bedroom door creaking open. Thank God it was a Saturday because he was really not in the mood to get out of bed and go to school. Haley quietly walks into his room and sits by his bed.

"Hey...How're you feeling?" She kindly asks him.

Graham groans and turns away from here, laying on his side and looking out the window. "Don't know."

She sighs, scooching closer to him. "Well. Do you wanna talk now?"

"I guess...I'm not really up to it or feeling it but, yeah, sure." Graham sits up, rubbing his tired eyes. 

"Start from the beginning?"

He nods. "Okay. S-so I don't know what happened really- I mean I _do_ but it's all just so..."

"Scary? Confusing?" Haley suggests.

"Yeah. I was walking home yesterday evening and three grade 8 boys surrounded me and started threatening me." Graham gulps as he says those words. Looking back at the situation now, it wasn't the fact that they said anything to him that upset him, it was the fact that they could possibly be willing to hurt him just to get their way. "A-and one of the told me that...that well- he told me to tell Damon that he better not be plotting anything against them."

"Who's Damon?" 

Graham hesitates. "H-he's my friend. And that's not all they did. They pinned me down, mocked me and poked me in the eye. And the worst part is that they know where I _live_. Christ Haley, the know where I live..." He breaks down into his hands, feeling the corners of his eyes prickle again.

"Right. Graham, you can always tell mum and dad. They care about you yeah? I'll see what I can do for now but hang tight, it'll all be over soon. I promise. And if it's not, then we'll find a way." Hayley smiles and vacates her brother's room.

Graham sighs and gets up to get ready for the day. 

*

He finishes showering and hops downstairs to get his breakfast. He wasn't expecting anything on a normal Saturday morning like this. But when he enters his kitchen and sees a head full of messy blonde hair, shiny blue eyes and a charming smile, his day- for some strange reason- gets better all of the sudden. Damon stands up and hugs Graham ever so tightly. The younger boy melts into the embrace and feels a huge lump developing in his throat when Damon lets go of him.

"I heard what happened yesterday," The blond sadly says.

"You did? Already?"

"Word spreads around quickly these days. I'm so sorry I-" Damon pauses and furrows his eyebrows. "I wish, wish I could have done something. I could have at least walked you home or-"

Graham turns light pink and smiles a bit at the thought of Damon walking him home like last time. "No, it's really not your fault Damon. Neither of us saw this coming, really don't blame yourself,"

"You sure?"

The younger boys nods. "Yeah. You don't gotta blame yourself, Dames,"

Damon smiles and stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Alright. Eat up then, I've got things planned for us to do today,"

"Things? What things?" Graham sits down at the dining table and takes a bit of the scrambled eggs his mum had left for him. Damon grins and waits for his friend to finish eating before answering his question.

When Graham finally finishes and puts his plate in the skin, Damon snakes a hand around his shoulder. "Well, Graham, I've been saving up. Just enough to get the two of us some ice cream cones over at the parlor. What do you say?"

"Ice cream? Sure why not. That's very kind of you b-but do my parents know about us going out? How did you even get in here?" The younger boy questions.

 "Relax Grem, your mum let me in. She's a very kind lady," Damon leads them both towards the backdoor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry the ending is kinda cut off I have a few last minute things to attend to


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda short chapter again due to my busy school life :/

"Hey, Damon?" 

Damon looks up at his friend with ice cream all around his mouth. "Mhm?"

Graham clearly looked uncomfortable. For the past few weeks, he's been putting pieces together and he came somewhat of a dodgy conclusion. "I-is it true that, uh, that...is it true that you t-think that I'm your...b-boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Well, I was jus' wondering cause uh, cause Micheal told me to tell my boyfriend that-" 

Damon stops him between his words. "To let go of whatever I'm planning? Yeah, I know. But I never said that you were my boyfriend. Everyone just thinks I fancy you cause we spend so much time together now..." The blond looked down at his shoes as they walked the main street. 

"And what about that time? That time at school when you two fighting and he called you a f-fag?" Graham questions. "Is it true?"

The blond remains silent and just looks at the melting ice cream cone in his hand. He really didn't want Graham to find out this way. In fact, he really didn't want Graham to find out at all in the first place.

"Damon?"

"Graham, it's not entirely true..." He finally says.

"Well, what do you mean?"

Damon rubs a hand on the back of his neck. "Thing is, I fancy girls. But I also kinda fancy blokes. I'm a bit in the middle, to be honest. I can go from fancying girls one day to fancying guys the next day. It's strange I know, but I only found out last year."

"How does Micheal know then?" Graham was a bit unphased at Damon's answer. He _did_ have a hunch after all. "I'm assuming you didn't tell him did you?"

Damon suddenly turns deep red and almost chokes on his ice cream. 

"What's wrong Dames?"

"D-do you promise you won't tell anyone?"

Graham nods in response.

"Well, Micheal and I have...a sort of...history together..." He confesses.

"History?" It takes Graham a moment before his eyes widen and he gasps in shock. "Wait! Do you mean? What! You fancied Micheal!?"

Damon is quick to shush his friend, seeing they were in public and anybody could be listening to them at any moment. The blond was ashamed to have Graham find out this secret that he's been keeping for almost about a year now. "I wouldn't exactly put it _that_ way..."

"Then what happened?" 

Damon looks behind him before turning back to Graham. "How about we go back to my house and then I can tell you? I don't really feel safe talking about it here. You know how quickly rumors spread."

They hurry to Damon's house and rush to the top of the stairs into his room. Once the blond makes sure that they were alone, he sits on his bed next to Graham and starts explaining himself. "Okay. So I wouldn't exactly say that I fancied Micheal and I wouldn't say that he fancied me either just to make things clear. You see, it was just a simple act of infatuation. And it only happened once. Just once. Now, I know you're asking yourself what I mean by 'Only happened once' and I'm being brutally honest with you Graham. What happened was that I walked in on him in a moment of struggle and we just kinda...we might have...we snogged each other." Damon mumbles the last bit shamefully.

Graham gasps and falls off the bed, landing on the floor head first. "You what!?" It wasn't the fact that Damon had kissed a boy that caught him off guard. It was the fact that it was Micheal! Of all people!. "Sorry let me get this clear. You _snogged_ him? You actually made out with him?"

"Yes goddammit, you don't have to say it so many times." Damon was burning red.

"I'm sorry I'm just-"

Damon interrupts him. "I know, I know, you don't want to b my friend anymore because you don't want to be friends with a fag. I understand."

"No, not at all. I really don't care if you're queer. I'm just shocked because it's Micheal. The bully." Graham's eyes met Damon's. "But seriously. I don't mind if you like boys or girls, really."

"Aw. Thanks, Grem. Now c'mon. Let's hit the lake before it gets too late." 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! This is a long chapter and it took some time to raise cause I felt a bit uninspired but here it is! Sorry for the late upload! :)

Damons looks at himself in the bathroom mirror. He ran a hand through the messy blond mop he called hair. His icy blue eyes sparkle in the bright bathroom lights. The scars on his face from a few weeks ago were all healed up and barely noticeable anymore. In a strange way, the scars made him feel closer to Graham. He didn't really know why. Was it because he was there for him in a time of need? Was it because Graham put everything Damon did to him behind him to help him? Damon would never know unless he asks. And he _was_ planning on doing that but not right now.

He puts on his shirt and exits the bathroom, sliding down the stairs into the kitchen. His whole family was there by that table eating breakfast. Damon was first greeted by his father, who shot him a lovely smile. "Morning Damon, sleep well?"

"Morning dad..." Damon sighs. He plops down in his chair and bit into his toast feeling rather tired. 

His sister, from under the table, kicks his shin with her foot. "Sit up Damon! Don't ya know it's rude to slouch at the dining table?"

"Bugger off Jessica! Christ..." The boy scolds. His eyes shoot daggers at his sister, who sticks a tongue out at him. Their father breaks them up but slamming a hand on the table and clearing his throat.

"Damon! Jessica!" Mr. Albarn shouts at his kids. They quickly pipe down and look away from each other very angrily. Damon didn't understand why he was getting involved in this. Jessica was the one that started it! And he never even tried to argue with her! "You two just don't get along anymore, do you? What happened? You used to be best friends when you were smaller,"

Mrs. Albarn sets a jug of orange juice in the middle of the table. "Best friends actually. But something just went wrong didn't it?" That question was directed towards Damon specifically.

"Mum, am I not allowed to have my own friends?" He shot at her.

"Yes, but it'd be nice if you hung out with Jess from time to time. Same goes to you, Jessica. You two should go out, have some fun together you know?" She went on rambling about how she and her sibling always stuck by each other's sides and how they were inseparable. Damon was annoyed and pissed cause why couldn't his mother just understand that not everything was the same as it used to be in her time.

Damon rolls his eyes and gets his school bag from the corner and heads for the backdoor. But before he had the chance to leave, his dad stopped him from the kitchen. "Damon, I want you to take your sister to the playpark after school okay?"

The blond gasps in shock. "What! But dad! I was gonna hang out with Graham after school! We have plans!" He whines.

"Plans or no plans, you're taking your sister to the park after school and there's no negotiating. Take Graham with you! It'll be fun!" His dad retorts, smiling.

Damon angrily storms out of the kitchen and out of the house, mad at his father for forcing him to hang out with his little sister. He couldn't be bothered to be seen with her and he knew his dad knew that. So why is he making him take her out? Whatever.

*

"So he's making you spend time with her? Dames, that doesn't sound bad at all. You're just overreacting again," Graham bites into his sandwich, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his sweater. 

"But you don't get it, Graham! I don't _want_ to! I _really_ don't! And we have, I mean, had plans," The blond whines. He picks and shoves his food around his lunch tray with a fork. "Aren't you angry? We had plans! And my stupid sister has to go and ruin everythin' like she always does,"

Graham draws his knees to his chest. He had on that one face; the one where his eyebrows were furrowed and his nose, slightly scrunched. Suddenly, his face lights up and he is excitedly all over Damon, grasping onto his hands. "Oh! Our plans don't have to be ruined! We can still hang out! I'll just tag along with you and your sister at the park!"

Damon didn't look too happy about that idea. "Really? You want to come along?"

"Yeah! W-well, if it doesn't bother you of course. Or your sister. Do you think she'd mind? I hope she won't,"

"Graham,"

"And I'm pretty sure she's nice too. I mean, she can't be as bad as you say she is right? I don't think so, I saw her once at your house and I think she saw me too, so we kinda know each other,"

"Graham,"

"We're gonna be fine Dames. It's going to be like when my sister used to take me out, but this time we're the olde ones and--"

"Graham!" Damon shouts accidentally. "Can you please just be fucking quiet for just one second?!"

The younger boy quickly backs away from Damon, afraid that he was about to receive another blow or hit from him. Graham looked very scared, the blond's sudden behavior wasn't new but he didn't know Damon still had it in him. He's been so nice to Graham for quite some time now so seeing him scream like that made him uneasy. 

Damon internally curses at himself and attempts to apologize by reaching and hand out to Graham, who quickly swipes his away. "Graham--Sorry, I'm just...sorry, I just needed to get your attention and--"

"By raising your sodding voice at me?" The brunette looked offended and hurt.

"No, I-I...I'm sorry I just...It's an old reflex okay? I had--have anger issues...still. And sometimes it's just hard to--"

Graham wasn't buying his excuses. "And sometimes it's just hard to what? Damon I," He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. He breathes in and out; it's something that Graham found useful when he needed to calm down. "Okay, sorry I just...I didn't like that,"

"I'm sorry Graham,"

"No, it's not about saying sorry Damon! I-I'm trying t-to help you and all...all you can do is tell me to shut u-up?" He felt his voice getting higher and higher and very shaky. Graham felt a lump in the middle of his throat. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, he thought to himself. He tightly closes his eyes but it was no use, seeing as the tears already made his way down his cheeks.

Damon cringes. Gosh, now he made him _cry_? He reaches a hand out to pat Graham's shoulder but the younger boy just gathers all of his things, getting up and running away, leaving Damon all by himself in the music room. Graham ran and ran. Luckily, everyone was out at lunch so there wasn't a huge crowd to make fun of him. He ran to the bathrooms and locked himself in a cubicle. He cried until the bell rang for the third period.

*

The good thing about the third period is that there were less than 15 kids in his class. The bad thing was that it was music class. And music class meant Damon was in this class. He came to class early and sat in the back. Graham's eyes were puffy and red but it wasn't that noticeable, thank God. It wasn't the thought of confronting Damon that made him nervous, no, it was the fact that he acted very cowardly in front of him that was bothering him. He was just going to have to make it through this whole class and hopefully, the whole day.

Class starts and Damon doesn't show up for about ten minutes. When he does, instead of making a big scene like he always does, he quietly walks to the back of the classroom and sits next to Graham.

"Mr. Albarn, may I ask why you are late to class? Again?" The teacher asks, not even the least bit surprised at his behavior.

"Sorry, sir, I had trouble with my locker," He lies.

"Well, as long as you're here...Let's begin class then," The class starts with a lecture, and they're supposed to take notes. Graham gets right to it, not even acknowledging Damon's presence. Graham finishes writing a full paragraph when he hears his name being whispered. He turns to his side to see Damon with a piece of paper, discretely reaching it out to him.

"Graham! Psst, Graham!" Damon was so focused on getting the paper to his peer that he didn't even see his teacher standing right behind him.

"Damon, do you have something to share? If you do, then I guess you won't mind sharing it with the whole class huh?" The teacher snatches the paper right out of his hand and Damon could have just died then and there. He felt sweat building up on his forehead and sinks into his chair.

The teacher unfolds the letter and starts reading it to the whole class. "I'm very, very, truly sorry Graham." At the mention of his name, Graham feels various set of eyes on him. He turns deeply red as the note continues to be read. "I didn't mean to shout at you like that, I'm serious. I shouldn't have been such brat. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Damon." 

The two boys had expected the class to burst into laughter but to their surprise, they didn't. After all, They were the only 7th and 8th graders, except for one other 7th grader, but he was always quiet. "Well," the teacher set the paper down on his desk. "Let's get back to the lesson shall we?"

At the end of class, they were both called up to stay and have a chat with the teacher. It wasn't anything too grave, they were just told to do that type of thing outside of class and whatnot.

But even after his apology letter, Graham still ignored him and went home on his own.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I've been getting messages on my Tumblr about some Gramon fic requests n' stuff so if you have any ideas, don't be shy to put them in the comments below or even my ask box on Tumblr! (here is the link to my ask box btw: https://mildremedy.tumblr.com/ask) :D Also, enjoy this chapter!! I've started on the next one so it should be out soon enough! Thank you to all my lovely readers! We're almost at 1k hits wow! I never thought that would happen! Once again, thank you!

It was Friday and Graham had been avoiding Damon for a few days now. Rumors were spreading about them having a secret relationship or that he was in love with Damon. He really didn't want to be seen by anybody and just hoped that as time went on, the gossip would dissolve. But it didn't, and it wasn't going to any time soon cause apparently, this was the hottest topic in the whole school. It's not like Damon hadn't had all eyes on him before but Graham obviously hadn't. And he was scared.

The boy sat in a quiet and empty corridor, eating lunch by himself for the fourth time this week. He was used to it, it's not like he had friends before or anything. But he felt really special about Damon though. Those moments shared between them; it felt like their friendship could actually work out. But for just a few tiny moments did he feel that way. Guess he could go back to be a loner again. Graham picks at his undone shoelaces and sniffs. Again, he was on the verge of tears and this time he didn't bother containing himself. Why? Because he was alone. But something inside him told him to stop crying. To stop crying over someone. To stop crying over Damon. Why was he crying over Damon? Graham threw his leftovers away and got up to go to the bathroom and wipe his face.

He immediately wants to leave the toilets when he sees a familiar head of blond hair and set of blue eyes hunched over a sink. Graham's heart drops when he saw blood dripping into the ceramic bowl. Damon looks up at him with bloody swollen lips and a black eye. The boys stare at each other in shock--Graham mostly. He didn't want to have to talk to Damon again but, let's face it, how could he not? "D-Dames?" He whispers.

"Graham--" The youngest boy doesn't even think before he launches himself at Damon and holds him in a tight embrace. It was the first time they ever hugged. or even gotten this close to each other. And they were totally comfortable with it.

"Damon, I-I'm so, so, so, sorry! This is all my fault! I shouldn't have left like that and I should have forgiven--" Tears came back prickling the edges of his eyes as he firmly held onto Damon's neck.

"No, no, Graham this isn't your fault, I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. I don't know what came over men, I swear. I jus' want you to know that I didn't mean any of it, really," The blond calmy says. His injuries were the last of his problems. Right now, he only wanted to focus on Graham. "I'm very, very sorry Gra. I'm never going to hurt you like that ever again. You're my mate and mates don't hurt mates yeah?" Soft hands rub Graham's tensed up back.

"Stop apologizing! Damon, what happened? Why are you all bloody and beaten up?" He asks, scared and worried.

The bleeding had stopped. It wasn't as bad as last time though, just a few cuts but they weren't even visible far away. "Graham, whatever, it doesn't matter what happened to me. I'm fine. I really am, I've been through worse, trust me. What matters is that we can still be friends. We can still be friends right?"

"Of course, you silly, silly boy! Of course, we can be friends!" The brunette weeps tears of satisfaction, pulling away from their hug and looking Damon in the eye. What was he thinking before? That he didn't need Damon? Bold of him to think that cause this rowdy, blond haired, blue eyed boy had become a part of his life now. And he became a part of his.

*

Damon couldn't be happier. Graham was back! They were friends again! He widely smiles over the thought of them spending time together again as he stood by the school gate waiting for his friend. The boy in question came running towards him, notebooks and textbooks in hand. Damon never really took the time to really get a good look at him but, Graham was beautiful. Pretty, even. Those big round brown eyes, the messy dark hair and his plump pink lips. Everything about Graham was making him go nuts--in a good way--lately. "Sorry 'bout that, my maths teacher asked me to stay behind after class for a bit,"

"You in trouble, Gra?" Damon asks with concern.

He scrunches his nose and giggles. There. It was those types of things that Damon was falling in love with. "Nah, she just' wanted to tell me I was doing better than usual. And, uh, Damon?"

The blond looks down at his friend. "Yeah? What is it, Graham?"

"I saw Micheal and his friends. They were starin' at me and laughing n' I didn't like it. I felt like they were coming for me too," He remarks.

"Don't worry, they won't lay a single finger on you. And if they try to, then they'd have to get through me!" Damon lifts his head up to the sky--his black eye stings as it makes contact with the sunlight-- and strikes a heroic pose as they walk down the street and away from the school.

Damon's comment makes him feel a bit safer, but not entirely. "Oh, Damon, you don't understand! I don't want you gettin' hurt all the time. And besides, Micheal is leaving Stanway this year so we won't have to deal with him next year,"

"Oh! Next year you say? Does that mean we'll still be friends?" 

Graham shrinks. "W-well, yeah. If you want us to be. I want us to still be friends though,"

Damon raises his hands to the air, flailing them about. "Then it's decided! We're gonna be friends forever!"

The younger boy bursts into laughter and mocks Damon's silly behavior. Eventually, they make it to Graham's house safely. Damon accompanies his younger friend into his house, says hello to Graham's mother and is on his merry way. Graham waves at him from the porch and he waves back until they became too far apart to see each other. Damon's house wasn't that far away, just about a seven-minute walk. The blond crosses the rad and makes a turn for his street. 

"Damon! Damon!" A little voice calls out from behind him. "Damon wait for me!"

He turns around and his little sister, Jessica is running up to him. "Huh? Jess, what are you doing here? Didn't you take the bus home?" He asks.

Jessica cringes and gasps when she sees her brother's black eye. "Christ! Damon, what happened to you? Mum's gonna be so worried again!"

Damon swats at his sister and rolls his eyes, annoyed. "Oh sod off, I'm fine. That's the important thing right?" He slows down so his sister can catch up to him. "These types of things don't hurt me anymore Jessica, I don't see why a fifth grader like you is so worried." 

The young girl slowly looks down at her shoes as she walks alongside her brother. Damon sees the hurt on her face and sighs, feeling a tinge of guilt. "Awright, sorry. I didn't mean it that way. What I meant to say is that a fifth grader like you shouldn't have to worry about me. Worry about yourself okay? Christ, Jess, I know that I may not act like it or show it but, I really care about you yeah? You're my sister and I want the best for you." He pauses and pivots on his heel, facing his sister. "Please, Jess, please promise me that you won't turn out as a bad kid. You'll do that for me yeah? I know you hate me but, please, don't do any bad shit,"

"Damon..." She breathes out, smiling. "Of course I won't silly."

The blond ruffles the hair on the top of his sister's head. "Of course you won't." He returns the grin. "Now c'mon let's get back home before mum and dad lose the plot and start putting up posters with our pictures on 'em,"

They walk in silence for a good amount of time before Jessica clears her throat to get Damon's attention. "Damon? Can I ask you a question?"

"Okay...?"

"Do you like Graham?"

He laughs. "Of course, Graham's my mate, my friend,"

She shakes her head. "No. Not like that. Do you _fancy_ him?"

That single word hits Damon like a truck. He trips over his own feet and almost stumbles to the ground. He was _that_ startled by the question. Nonchalantly, he regains himself and tries to laugh it off. "What? No, I don't fancy Graham! I mean--I don't fancy him. He's my mate. And mates don't fancy each other. Well, at least...I don't know Jess. Graham is my best friend you know? At least I think he is. I don't know if I'm his best friend but you know what I mean." His face was getting redder by the minute.

"Okay. I just wanted to know." She says smiling ear to ear. 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so...feelings are starting to develop  
> (Ik there are mistakes somewhere but, imma be real, I really couldn't be bothered to check them this time so sorry for that!)

It was the last weekend of April and Graham wakes up on this fine morning feeling a bit more energetic as usual. He slips out of bed and into the bathroom. When he looks at himself in the mirror, he almost faints and falls to the ground. A large, round and red spot sat right on his cheek. Graham was petrified; he always heard his classmates talking about how they had zits and pimples on their faces but he never in his life thought that it'd happen to him. He tries to touch it but is too scared that it might explode. What was he to do now? He had (somewhat of a) social life and reputation that he needed to maintain and this pimple was going to be the death of him. So he thought about the only person that could help him out of this sitch. Damon.

Damon could easily be mistaken for an older high schooler. The blond boy was tall and looked way older for his age. He must have dealt with this type of problem before right? He must have. So Graham pulls on a pair of jeans and a shirt, racing downstairs as he did so.

"Graham? Where are you going in such a hurry?" His father asks from the living room.

The boy grabs his coat from the rack and stops to acknowledge his dad. "I'm going to Damon's dad! I'll be back before lunch! Er, actually, make that dinner!" He says rushing out of the door.

"Just be home before dark!" 

He runs all the way to the Albarn residence, pounding loudly on the door with one hand and covering his face with the other. Hazel answers with a smile as usual. "Graham! What a surprise! Wasn't expecting you here this early in the morning. But Damon is here, come in, come in,"

"Hello, Mrs. Albarn! Sorry, I can't chat much, but thank you!" He runs up the stairs and barged into Damon's room. The latter was still in bed tangled between covers, awake and staring out his window. Damon smiles widely as he sees Graham at the entrance of his room. He sits up in his bed and yawns.

"Gra, hello, what are you doing here so early? C'mere," Damon pats the empty space next to him and Graham gently sits down, still covering his face. The blond tilts his head and holds Graham by the hand. "What's wrong Gra? You seem so...scared. Did something happen? With _Micheal_?" His mouth bitterly says that last word.

The youngest boy shakes his head with a look of distress on his face. "No, Damon, I haven't got a clue what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I woke up this morning and I saw this on my face and I don't know what to do Dames, everyone's gonna laugh at me at school! I don't know how to get rid of it! Please, Dames, please do something about it! I want my normal face back!" He panics, squeezing the blond's hair a bit too tight.

Damon calms him down by rubbing a hand down Graham's back. "Grem, calm down, you're going to be fine. It's just puberty you know? And it's a good thing too! That means you're growing!" 

"Yeah but Day, I don't want this!" 

"Oh cmon, it can't be _that_ bad. Can I see?" Damon asks.

Graham slowly removes his hand from his face, revealing the problem area. Damon winces and takes back everything he said about it not being that bad. "Okay. I see. _It is_ that bad then,"

"But can you get rid of it?" 

Damon thinks. "Uh, I'll try and help you. I'm not fully sure I can but, I'll do my best. Let me get dressed," Damon rises out of bed and Graham almost blacks out for the second time this day. The blond was just wearing a plain shirt and he had nothing but his knickers on. It was weird because Graham found this strangely...attractive? No, that shouldn't be on his mind right now. Damon was his friend. Best friend maybe even. And best friends don't look at each other that way. He watches as Damon shuffles through his closet and puts on a pair of jeans and a jumper, fussing around with his messy hair. "I'm going to the loo, you can come if you want,"

Graham turns deep red. "No! I didn't mean it that way! I-I meant I'm going to brush my teeth and wash my face, Christ sorry,"

"Uh, it's okay Dames," Graham giggles following him to the bathroom. He sits on the toilet seat and watches as Damon gets ready for the day. He can't help but acknowledge how much of a good-looking boy Damon was. He wasn't afraid to admit it to himself, Damon was actually good-looking. Graham was falling in love with his eyes, those pretty blue eyes. And his hair, a messy blond mop on the top of his head. He was good-looking, sure, but this didn't mean Graham fancied him, no, it didn't and couldn't work like that. The blond turns off the faucet and dries his face off with a nearby towel. Graham quickly looks away and remains seated on the toilet.

"Okay, lemme see," Damon cups his hands around Graham's face. "Did you touch it? Cause you're not supposed to touch it,"

"No, I didn't,"

The older boy smiles. "Good, good. That's the first step." 

"S-so what are you going to do Dames?" Graham hesitates. "What am _I_ gonna do?"

Damon furrows his brows and hums. "I'm not sure Graham. The best you can do is wait for it to go away. It's going to get better, trust me." He smiles at the younger boy below him but Graham still had that look of distress on his face. Damon felt really bad for him; Graham was still young and this was all new and scary to him. He wishes there was something he could do but there really wasn't. He runs a hand through Graham's hair and sighs. "Hey, how about we go out for a walk in the woods?"

Graham stands up and brings his hand to his mouth, biting on his fingernails. "Um, but what if people see me? They'll laugh at me for sure,"

"Don't worry Graham, if anybody laughs at you, they'll have to face me. And I wouldn't let them laugh at you anyway okay?" Damon assures.

The younger boy smiles bashfully and turns red, hiding his face in his hands. "Mmm...okay, then."

*

Colchester was very beautiful in the spring. It was beautiful all year round but it was the best in spring. Early spring to be specific. Graham, hands stuffed in his pockets, trails next to Damon as they walk through the woods. The wind blows in his hair as he remains deep in thought. He thinks about his feelings towards Damon. They'd been friends for about two months now and to him, Damon was actually the only person he could call 'his friend'. Graham began to wonder if they were more than friends--best friends perhaps? "Damon, are we best friends?" He asks the blond.

Damon smirks, running a hand through his hair. "Well, yeah. We are right?"

"Yeah. We are." Graham wanted to tell Damon that he thought he was beautiful. But that would be very weird. But he didn't have a crush on Damon, no, he just simply thought he was very good-looking for his age. He wanted to know more about Damon, more than he already knew. "Can I ask you a question?"

The blond cocks an eyebrow. "Of course, Grem,"

"S-so, do you remember when you told me you, fancy blokes?"

Damon feels a shiver run up his spine. He was not expecting that in a million years. Did Graham really have to ask him that question now? "Yeah, why?"

Graham wanted to tell Damon what he really thought. But he didn't have the courage to. "Well, do you fancy all blokes? Like do you think all of them are good-looking?"

"Well, no and yes, kinda. W-what I mean by that is, sure, I can think that a boy is good looking but that doesn't mean I fancy them. You know what I mean?" The older boys answers, looking Graham in the eyes.

"Oh yeah, okay." He can't help it, he has to say something or it'll be the death of him. "Damon I think you are very handsome." Graham a bit too quickly says and speed walks ahead of his friend.

Damon runs up to him, he didn't hear what Graham said and wanted to know. "Graham! Wait, what did you say?" He grabs a hold of the younger boy's wrist, stopping him in his tracks and turning to face him.

"No, nevermind. It's very stupid, really Damon, it's fine," Graham shakes his head and looks away in embarrassment.

The older boy shifts on his feet, looking into Graham's big brown eyes. "Gra, please tell me. You can't just say something and then leave it off like that. Cmon you can trust me, I won't judge ya. Remember this morning? I didn't judge you when you--"

"Don't remind me," Graham interrupts. "I just...you'll think I'm weird and stupid, it's just...I don't know,"

The blond boy swallows hard. "I won't. And you know that I'll never laugh at you. Christ Graham, you matter too much to me. I can never laugh at you or think you're stupid. I want you to be able to talk to me. So please, talk to me," He leans in and places a soft kiss on the younger boy's forehead.

Graham's world freezes and his whole body is reduced to what feels like jelly. No one (save for his parents of course) has ever kissed him like that. Let alone a boy! His mouth hangs open and he wants the words to come out. "Damon...I think you're very handsome." He quietly says.

Damon smiles and his blue orbs softly look at Graham. "Gra.." His hands find their to Graham's shoulders and they linger there for quite some time. The two boys stare at each other in silence, cherishing this intimate moment they were having between them. "Thank you. I think you're very beautiful too," 

The brunette stands on his toes, leans in and presses his lips against Damon's cheek. Graham felt the adrenaline pumping in his veins, the blood coursing through his body, and his heart rate picking up by the second. "Is--is this normal? Is it normal for me to think you're handsome?" Graham stuffs his hand into his jacket pockets. "It isn't weird right?"

"Of course not. Lots of mates call each other handsome and shite. You're not the first one," The blond smiles.

A chilly gust of wind blows through the air, causing the leaves in the trees to loudly rustle. Graham was cold now and he wanted to go elsewhere. This all seemed like a dream, everything that had just happened didn't feel real. Did he really just tell Damon he thought he looked good? Had he really kissed him on the cheek? Right now, Graham had even forgotten about the ward that had grown in his face. He felt this sort of vertigo, it was as if he was going to fall into the blue and never come back again. Was all of this...real? He holds onto his stomach and sighs. "I'm sorry--this is all so...new to me. I just, I just never, you know..."

"It's okay Gra, you don't have to be sorry, I understand," Damon's hands let go of Graham, freeing him of his hold. "Do you want to go back? We've been out here for a while and it's almost lunchtime,"

Graham feels dizzy and unbalanced so a good meal is probably what he needs right now. "At your place? Sure,"

*

When they come back, Hazel already made lunch; green beans and pasta. Damon and Graham quickly ate and excused themselves from the dining table, upstairs to the blond's room. Graham sat on the bed, reading through a magazine and feeling a bit lightheaded still. He was having trouble reading the words, everything was so blurry but also in focus at the same time so it was weird. Damon took a seat by his windowsill, looking into his front yard. "Hey, Graham? Did I do something? You've been so quiet and I can't help but wonder if you're cross,"

The younger boy rose his head up from the article. "Dames, I'm not mad at you. You didn't do anything, don't worry. I'm just feeling a bit...winded and tired. I'm really not angry at you Damon, I swear, I'm fine. You've got nothing to do with it,"

A smile a relief finds itself onto Damon's face. "Okay, I just wanted to check. You can sleep if you want to, on my bed."

"Aw, ta. But won't you be bored, by yourself?" Graham kicks his shoes off and nuzzles into the soft covers as he makes himself comfortable enough to drift off to sleep. "I can always sleep after. We can go out again if you want,"

"Nah. I have homework to be doing anyway so go on, go to sleep. I'll wake you up before supper so you can go home," The older boy walks from the windowsill to his bed to nicely tuck Graham into bed. "Also, I know you probably forgot but, don't worry about your zit. It's going to clear up soon and you're going to be as pretty as ever," He kisses Graham on the forehead for the second time this day. 

"Dames..." The brunette yawns. "You're too kind," And closes his eyes.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This extra long chapter was just an excuse to write fluff, sorry uwu! It was also written to like, really establish their relationship because this is where the story really begins!

The next time Damon sees Graham, he's waiting for him by the gate after school. He hasn't seen Graham all day and he wants to see if he could grab a hold of him before he went home. Deep down, Damon felt as though Graham was ignoring him. Was he mad? Maybe, but probably not, Damon thought. He is sitting on a bench near the school entrance, carefully observing groups of students as they flood out of the building. Icy blue eyes shining in the sun, Damon squints to get a better look at the scene, feeling a sense of relief when he sees Graham's familiar blue sweater. Damon makes a beeline towards the boy, calling his name out so loud everyone else hears. 

"Graham! Graham, wait up!" His hair bounces up and down as he runs to his best friend. Damon is so caught up in reuniting with Graham, seeing him again, that he doesn't even notice a slight crack in the sidewalk. As predicted, he falls to the floor, his face first. A group of girls walking by giggle amongst themselves and Damon just groans, lifting himself off of the ground. He reaches for his backpack and by the time he stands up, a worried Graham is standing in front of him. The blond deeply flushes, Graham had glasses! Black, thick framed, glasses! God, did they suit him! And he was incredibly cute in them too!.

Damon widely grins. "Graham, you've got glasses,"

Not hearing anything Damon had just said to him, Graham grips at the blond's hands, he wants to make sure his friend is okay. "Damon, what was that? Are you hurt? That was quite a nasty fall, you didn't scratch your knees did you?" His tone is distressed and a bit shaky. And when he squeezes Damon's hands, the blond feels even more blood rushing to his cheeks. 

"No, I'm fine," He reassures. "But enough about me, you got glasses! Gosh,"

A wave of relief washes over him and Graham smiles, showing his braces "Oh, yeah. I didn't tell you did I? Well, I got glasses. Apparently, I can't see well, and that's kinda why I was all dizzy the other day," He shrugs and looks back at Damon, biting his bottom lip. "Do you like them?"

"Oh yes, very lovely. And they suit you very well too,"

Their fingers are now interlocked together and they swing their hands around. Graham can't stop smiling and blushing but Damon finds it very, very cute. "Ah, ta mate,"

Graham removes his hands from Damon's and the latter feels a bit empty without the younger boy's fingers tangled with his. He's been needing and wanting Graham by his side lately and he doesn't know if it's a good or bad thing. Rising a hand to Graham's shoulder, Damon smirks, blue eyes meeting brown ones. "We should head home. And I was wondering if you wanted to sleep over today,"

"But it's a Monday, you think my mum'll let me?" 

The blond purses his lips, nodding. "Of course, I mean I think so, It's worth the try. I've got something I wanna show you tonight and it'll be too late for you to go home if you don't stay over,"

Graham is intrigued. "Oh, really? What is it?"

"It's a surprise," Damon beams.

The younger boy's eyes roll. "Of course it is. What's Damon without surprises?"

Their hands brush against each other when they start walking down the road to Damon's house. It's not until they're deep in conversation and very close to Damon's house that Graham remembers something important. "Christ, I haven't got a change of clothes for tonight or for school tomorrow! I completely forgot, Jesus,"

Damon brushes it off smoothly. "Mhm, don't worry Gra, you can borrow my clothes and return them later, aren't we like, the same size?"

"No way, you're way taller than I am," They step onto the Albarn family's porch with Graham in front and opening the door for both of them. The pair, taking their shoes off in unison are greeted by Keith, Damon's dad.

Keith smiles at the two, waving a hand at them. "Damon, Graham, welcome home. How was your day?" He asks.

"Good, thanks for asking Mr. Albarn," The brunette nods as if he was talking to the queen or something. Graham always has this sort of respect and politeness that Damon never has towards adults. Mr. and Mrs. Albarn found it quite fascinating and thought their son could learn a thing or two from the young boy.

"Hey, dad," Damon acknowledges, waving a hand back. "Is it fine if Graham stays over today?"

Keith reaches his hands to both boy's heads, ruffling their hair and chuckling underneath his breath. "You really can't stay away from each other, can you? Of course, you can Graham, you're always welcome. Just make sure your parents know okay?"

He nods.

"Great, I'll see you, hooligans, later alright? I'm going to get some groceries for dinner. There's some lemonade in the fridge if you want some. Mum and Jessica went out so they'll be home soon if you're wondering where they are," 

"Alright, thanks dad, see you," He says to his dad as he goes out of the door. 

They're all alone now. By themselves. Graham stands there awkwardly and brings his fingers to his mouth to gnaw on his nails. "I'm going to call my mum now if you don't mind. Can you lead me to the phone please?"

"Sure thing Gra, right down the hall over there. Go ahead, I'll make us something to drink," Damon directs, dropping his bag to the floor. Graham bobs his head, doing the same, soon heading for the phone. Damon then occupies the kitchen, opening his parent's wine cabinet in search of a bottle. He quietly pulls a bottle, half empty, out and divides a small portion into two glasses. Damon gently puts it back in its place, hoping his parents won't notice later. He skips to the fridge, taking the previously mentioned lemonade jug out and pouring a generous amount into the glasses. He takes the cups in his two hands and starts heading for Graham.

To his surprise, Graham comes prancing to him with a wide smile on his face. "Guess what Dames? My mum said I can stay! I can stay!" He jumps.

With wide eyes, Damon cheers along with him. "That's amazing Gra! Wow, that was very nice of your mum!" He almost forgets about the drinks. Damon hands a glass to Graham. "Here,"

The younger boy, without even stopping to question why the drink was suspicious in color immediately downs it. The look his face carries after is priceless. "Damon, what's in this?" He bitterly asks. "It tastes very...strange,"

Damon's face reflects amusement and Graham a tad bit annoyed. "Promise you won't freak out?"

"...Damon,"

He repeats. "Graham, do you promise?"

"Yes...?" The younger boy hesitates.

Damon pauses, a sneaky grin crawling onto his face. "It's wine, but--"

"Wine? Are we allowed to?"

"Well, not really but, it's just a little bit--I mixed it with lemonade. But nothing's going to happen to you, I promise," Damon rose a hand to Graham's shoulder, soft eyes looking at him.

Graham purses his lips, anxiously. He gazes down at his drink, swirling it around in the wine glass. "...Okay...but if we get caught--"

"Yup. It'll all be one me," Damon wraps his fingers around Graham's wrist with one hand, his other hands holding his glass up to his lips. "Come on, let's go up to my room," He pulls Graham up the stairs, closing the door behind them once they're in. 

Damon's room is messy, Graham thinks, but in a good way. But saying that is an understatement because Graham's room was way beyond messy. He gets comfortable on Damon's bed, taking small sips from his cup. He watches as Damon opens his windows to let air in the room. "Hey, Dammy,"

The blond smirks, walking to join Graham on the bed. "Dammy? Is that my new nickname?" He settles beside his friend, jabbing him lightly in the side.

Graham giggles softly, taunting a finger back at Damon for revenge. "Sort of, yes. Anyway, I wanted to ask...do you...want to go to high school?" This question comes right out of the blue. "Like, are you scared? To go to high school I mean,"

"No, not particularly. I guess I have this feeling of starting everything all over again you know? But other than that, I'm not very scared. Why do you ask?" He replies, glass near his mouth.

The younger boy pulls his knees towards his chest. "Um, I don't know really. M'just asking." He pauses for a bit. "Will you...will you miss me?" Graham blushes, blotches of pink crawling onto his cheeks.

Damon coos. Reaching out to his best friend, he snakes an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer almost instinctively. "Gray, of course, I'll miss you! What am I to do without you? I always knew you were going to be a big part of my life since I first saw you walking into the doors of Stanway,"

"Riiiight. The first thing you ever said to me when you saw me for the first time was--" Graham sets his drink on the bedside table, sliding off the bed. He stands tall and proud, puffing his chest up in a ladylike manner. He deepens his voice and pulls a petty look on his face. "Your brogues are crap, mate. Look, mine are the proper sort."

The blond bursts out in chortles of laughter. "I do not sound like that!"

"Yes, you do!" Graham joins him, laughing as he crawls back to Damon. Looking at him with eyes full of admiration, Graham bites back another smile but fails.

"What?"

"You're too much, Dames," 

Damon gives him a proud look. "And you're too sweet,"

*

By the time all the Albarn family, including Graham, finish their supper, the sun starts setting. Damon slips out of the kitchen after putting dirty plates in the sink and questions where his friend went off to. He appears in the bathroom and watches as Graham washes his hands. The younger boy can see Damon in his peripheral. "Creep," He taunts.

The blond mockingly gasps. "What? I have absolutely no idea what you're going on about," He says with a hand on his chest.

"Were you watching me the whole time I was in here? Cause if you were...then you're gross," Graham sticks his tongue out, pivoting to his side to dry his hands with a towel.

Damon leans against the tile walls of the bathroom. "Don't worry, I wasn't. M'not a creep,"

The younger boy casually walks towards Damon, fussing with his brown locks of hair. He takes the other's hand into his, purposely giving it a gentle squeeze. This had become quite a normal thing for them now; holding each other's hands. And to think they only became friends two months ago. Damon looks down at Graham, extending a hand to adjust his crooked glasses on his face.

"Are you going to show me that surprise now?" Graham breaks the moment between them, feeling a bit too uneasy about the sudden silence. "You said you'd show me,"

Damon shakes his head. "Nope. Not now, it's way too early,"

Graham groans. "Well, can we go back to your bedroom? I'm feeling a bit tired,"

The blond leads the way into his room and Graham attaches himself to his bed like he had some kind of spiritual connection with it. His mind wanders as his eyes watch Damon looking out of his window. There are a lot of things he's always wanted to ask Damon but he's just been too shy and scared. Now that their relationship was stronger and more honest, Graham felt a little more confident doing so.

"Mmm, Damon?" He calls from the bed. The blond turns to him abruptly. "Come here please,"

Damon maneuvers to the bed and places himself next to Graham. With fingers inches away from touching, it's Graham who closes the space by sliding his hand into Damon's. He is clearly blushing but doesn't care if Damon notices. "What's the matter Grem?"

"I'm going to ask you some questions," He confesses, all while looking a bit ashamed.

Damon laughs, and Graham looks a bit annoyed. "Questions? Questions about what?"

"Questions about you! What else?" The younger boy frowns.

"Why?"

Graham brings his other set of fingers to his mouth. He bites on his nails and his eyes shift to a corner of the room. "Cause I can. Can't I?"

The blond nods. "Of course you can but what's the occasion?"

"I want to know you more. I hardly know anything about you Damon Albarn," Graham mockingly grins, looking up at the taller boy from his frames.

Damon smugly replies. "Says you, Graham Coxon,"

"...So can I?"

"Go ahead, but," Damon retorts, pausing. "I have the right to ask you the same amount of questions you ask me,"

"Alright then,"

The brunette lets go of the other's hand and shifts on the bed so that he's now sitting on his knees, facing Damon. He puts a finger on his lips, which sends shivers up Damon's spine and thinks of a question. He beams of joy when he finally does. "Uh...Is Damon Albarn your full name?"

"Yes, if it wasn't I would have told you by now. My turn. Is Graham Coxon your full name?"

Graham shivers underneath his sweater. "Do you _swear_ not to tell?"

Damon rises a palm in the air, the other one on his chest. "Scout's honor. Cross my heart and hope to die,"

Graham bites his lower lip and looks up at Damon. "It's Graham _Leslie_ Coxon,"

"Aw! How cute! Leslie? Graham, you're so sweet! Leslie is the cutest name ever!" The blond extends his arms to Graham, wrapping himself around him. The latter swats at his older friend pissed but thankful at the same time.

He laughs with pure amusement. "Get off me, Dames!"

"Okay, suit yourself,"

Graham takes some time to gather himself. He clears his throat, thinking of another question. "Have you ever...kissed anyone?" Then he falls silent. Blood rushes to his face immediately.

"Of course I have. Remember the other day? In the woods? When I kissed you on the cheek and you kissed me back?" Damon's tone is obvious.

"No, no like...have you ever kissed anyone...on the lips?" His gaze shifts away from Damon.

The older boy chews his upper lip. "I have. Plenty of times, actually,"

"With who?"

"Lots of people."

"Like who?"

"Mostly girls in my grade, I guess. A few in high school,"

Graham gulps. "High school?...What about, what about boys?"

Damon smiles seductively. "Boys? What, are you jealous?"

"No! Of course not! I just...want to know if you have or not since you...you know...fancy blokes n' stuff," Graham's voice squeaks a little at the end.

There comes a long pause after. "I kissed a few boys. Just a small amount,"

"Who...?"

"A few boys from last year, they're not here anymore. They didn't mean anything though," The blond remarks sourly.

"Is it scary? Kissing people?"

That's when Damon erupts into soft giggles."What? No, of course, it's not, it's just a bit awkward your first time but it gets easier after that."

Graham bites so hard on his nail he almost tastes blood. "Who was your first kiss?"

"That's way more questions than I've asked you Gra," Damon points out playfully.

"Sorry." The youngest boy looks down into his lap, embarrassed.

"No, it's okay, I was just messin' with you. Aks me as many questions as you want," Damon breaths, shifting nervously on the bed.

Graham smiles back with a soft look and nods, picking up where he left off. "So...who _was_ your first kiss?"

"It was this boy from last year. He was a year older than me. He came up to me and told me he thought I was the most beautiful person in the world. Then we ended up kissing behind the bleachers of the football field. But he left this year so, yeah."

Graham feels lightheaded again. Damon was so grown up and mature for his age. He was already kissing people and Graham was still getting over the fear of having zits on his face. He felt way less and smaller than Damon. "...Gosh. Was it nice and romantic? The kiss?"

"Yes, yes of course it was. He was nice and gentle with me and made sure I enjoyed it,"

"Did you two break up?" Graham mutters. "Or did he just leave like that?"

Damon takes a deep breath. They were getting into specifics now weren't they? "Well, we weren't really together. We just snogged each other from time to time."

"Oh."

"But he left without telling me why. I think it's because he moved away. Anyway, I didn't see him on the first day of school or for the rest of this school year, so yeah. I wouldn't exactly say that it ended in a disaster."

Graham's breathing stops and his words come out of his mouth without thinking. "Does it feel good? Being kissed?" He was more intrigued than nervous now. Damon was such an interesting person.

The blond flushes bright red, pulling a little smile to his face. "Oh yes, it really does. Especially when you're with someone who knows what they're doing and treats you right,"

"Oh. Okay then."

The youngest boy nervously sits on the bed, thinking about how to process all of this new information. Damon was well beyond his age, mentally and--even if Graham didn't want to admit it to himself--physically. Unlike him, who didn't even look a day over 12 to anyone. He was starting to feel a tinge of self-consciousness in his chest but it was just for a brief while. He removes his fingers from his mouth and sighs.

Damon arches a brow. "Is that all? For the questions?"

"Yes. That's all." Graham grins. "For now," 

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kinda sucks...

"Hush Dammy!" Graham scolds playfully, giggling behind Damon. "We're gonna get caught!"

Damon bites his lips nervously. The stairs beneath their feet creak as they, all in attempting to remain quiet, descend downstairs. They're holding each other's hands, Graham occasionally squeezing his friend's playfully. Even in the pitch black of the house, they can still see each other perfectly. Graham can see the wide and goofy smile on Damon's face and Damon can see Graham's red-tickled cheeks. "Shh! No, we're not!"

"Where are we going this late anyway?" Graham demands an explanation.

The blond hums, stepping down from the last stair. "I'm going to show you that surprise I was talking about earlier," He guides Graham down the last few steps. He raises the younger boy's arm to his face, gently pressing his lips against the surface of Graham's hand. "You okay with that?"

Graham blushes a deeper red. "Of course,"

Damon nods with a grin and pulls Graham to the backdoor of the house. Once outside they can't cease laughing and giggling, especially Graham. He can't help but notice Damon's eyes shining in the moonlight. Sparkling blue pools full of love and admiration. Gosh, did he just want to hug Damon right now. And so he does. Graham pulls the taller boy towards him, sticking his own small body against Damon's. He practically throws himself at the blond and his face is steaming and boiling red now. 

"Gra..." Damon breaths out. "What are you doing?" He laughs.

He wants Damon but he doesn't know how. Did he really love him? Yes, he definitely did. He was now sure of it, he wasn't going to deny it anymore cause there's no point in doing so anymore. He admits it to himself; He loves Damon. He really loves Damon. Graham wants to be with Damon, he wants Damon to hold him and hug him and maybe even... kiss him. Graham wants all of this but he doesn't know how. He doesn't know how to get it. "Dames...pick me up please?"

The latter snorts. Graham was so little and sweet. "What are you a toddler?"

"Shuddup!" He flushes with arms wrapped around the nape of Damon's neck, fingertips digging into his skin. "...I'm not even that heavy and I'm way shorter than you so it shouldn't be a problem..."

Damon rolls his eyes sarcastically, lifting Graham's feet off the ground. The youngest boy's head is placed on Damon's shoulder, Graham can pick up his breathing. His heart is pounding rapidly. He wants to tell Damon. He wants to tell Damon how much he likes him. 

The blond shakily walks to the gate in his backyard with Graham in his arms. As he tries to slide the lock open with one hand, all whilst making sure his best friend doesn't fall, he accidentally slips, sending them both to the floor. Graham's glasses fly off his face as his head hits the soft grass beneath them--which luckily brakes their fall. He blinks quite a few time and looks up to see Damon on top of him. 

The oldest boy cracks a toothy smile. "Shit! Sorry about that,"

Graham just covers his face with his hands, groaning in frustration. It was like Damon was purposely messing with him.

"Something wrong Grem? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry if I did, I didn't mean to drop you like that," He brings a hand to Graham's cheek, slowly caressing it and planting a kiss on his soft skin. 

The feel of Damon's lips against his skin lingers there for a few brief seconds, he eventually emerges his hands from his face. Graham lifts his head up from the undergrowth and kisses Damon's sharp nose. "You didn't hurt me, you silly boy. You're just..."

"I'm just what?" 

"You're messing with me!" 

Damon cocks his head. "Messing with you?"

"Messing with me!" Graham clarifies.

"How so?"

Graham's face looks irritated as hell, but Damon finds it very, very cute. "You're always giving me these looks, you're always kissing me and it makes me feel weird!"

"Do you want me to stop? Is that the problem?" The blond says, concerned of his behavior. He never meant to make Graham feel uncomfortable. So that's why when he hears the brunette's reply, he shakes beyond words.

"No! I don't want you to! That's the problem," Graham rises from the ground, brushing his sweater and pants off.

"Whatever, forget I said anything," He mumbles. Graham leans over to pick up his glasses. He wipes the lenses with his sweater, pushing the spectacles back onto his face. “Just...just show me that thing you wanted to show me.”

Damon knits his eyebrows together. He wonders if Graham is mad at him now. “Graham, I’m sorry.” The blond looks at the latter with puppy dog eyes, melancholic and pity full.

“I’m not mad Damon. I’m just...I don’t know,” The youngest boy looks down at his shoes, he feels a pang of guilt knowing that he’s hurt, Damon. “Confused maybe? I have no idea. Let’s just, let’s just go alright? I don’t wanna talk about it,”

“Okay,” In hopes of not offending him any further, Damon reaches for Graham’s hand and guides them into the woods behind his house.

The first few moments of the walk is spent in complete silence, between them. The only sounds that can be heard are the crickets, the tree leaves rustling in the wind and the sound of rushing water from the nearby lake. Damon can feel Graham’s hand tensing up and shaking in his. Was he holding on to the younger boy's hand too hard? So Damon applies less pressure to his grip but he can still feel Graham tensing up. “You alright?” He wonders.

Graham nods eagerly with a smile. “Yeah, sorry to make you worry. I was just thinking,”

“About what?”

Giving the blond’s hand a gentle squeeze, Graham hums. “Well, you know...things. Nothing much really,”

Damon knows it’s not nothing. It was never nothing. “Okay. Are you sure you don’t have something to say?”

The youngest boy rubs at his cheeks, attempting to make the reddish color fade away. “Um...is puberty hard? Like...does it hurt?”

Damon can’t help but burst out into quiet laughter and Graham, not so much. “Christ, who told you it hurt? It really doesn’t Grem,”

“So what does it feel like?”

The oldest thinks. “Well, I can’t really describe it...but it’s different for everyone you know?”

Graham hesitates to ask his next question. “B-but you’ve started...right? It looks like you have...”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Damon slyly remarks.

Graham’s shrugs. “I dunno, you just look well over your age I guess. Which is totally fine! I mean, it’s not wrong or anything I just thought that I’d point that out! But it’s totally fine,”

Grinning, Damon continues to lead the way as Graham rambles next to him, hands still tangled together. “It depends on everyone Gray, really. You shouldn’t worry if you don’t start puberty now or not. In fact, you should be happy if you haven’t! Believe me, Christ,”

“Why?”

“You’ll find out. Right now, just enjoy being a lot shorter than me okay?” He teases, taunting a finger at Graham, who playfully taunts one back.

“I’m not that short y’ know...” the younger boy mumbles.

Normally if Graham were to be by himself in the woods at night, he’d be scared to death but he feels a sort of safety with Damon by his side. A guardian angel, he thinks of Damon. “Are we almost there yet?”

“Almost. You okay?” 

Graham bobs his head. “Yeah,”

Eventually, Damon leads them to an open meadow and once Graham is told to looks up into the sky, he is literally star  struck.  The night sky was full of stars, all jam-packed and clustered into one big area in the sky and it was beautiful. Graham spun around to get a full view before turning to his best friend, who carried a wide, wide grin on his face. “Do you like it?”

“Like it? Gosh, Damon, I love it! The stars are so pretty and shiny and...wow! How did you come across this?”

Damon sits down in the tall grass and pats the space next to him, silently telling Graham to have a seat next to him. “I knew you’d like it! I found this place a long time ago when I used to walk in the woods at night to clear my mind you know?”

“Alone? You’ve got quite the courage then,” Graham points out. “Never mind that though, I love it! Wow! There are so many stars and it’s just beautiful...”

Damon leans in and mildly nibbles Graham’s earlobe. The younger boy jumps and gasps in shock. “Oh!”

“Feel weird?” Damon asks.

Graham scrunches his nose and grins. “A little, but it’s fine. I kinda like it,” he blushes. “Thank you for sharing this with me Dames, I really appreciate it. You’re the sweetest,” Graham kisses his best friend’s cheek.

“You’re too lovely Grem, you really are,” the blond returns the embrace.

Meanwhile, Graham thinks of things to say in his head. He wants to make the right move, he doesn’t want to screw up like last time. Graham shifts his gaze from the sky to Damon, eyes widening as large as discs. The blond had a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips and a lighter in hand.

“Is that...”

Damon nods. “Want one? I have a full pack. Well not really, I just took one out but you know what I mean,”

“Uh...” Graham never smokes and doesn’t know how to but for the sake of impressing Damon, he nervously accepts one. He tucks it in between his lips, leaning forward so his friend can give him a light.

The first thing he does is, he inhales all the smoke through his mouth, which is something he thinks he’s seen on the telly but he’s not quite sure, but that was a bad decision seeing Graham ended up heavily coughing and gasping for air. Damon removes the fag from the youngest boy’s mouth and pats his back. “You’ve never had a smoke before have you, Graham?” He asks, not at all surprised.

The brunette winces and gags, there was still a lot of smoke in his throat and it stung a little bit. 

“I’m going to take that as a no then,” Damon concludes. “Here, take a deep breath in and then out.”

Graham does as told on repeat for a few times and surprisingly, it works. He collapses in the grass gasping for more clean, fresh air to fill his lungs with. “That...was a disaster,” he says, very relieved. “I’m sorry,”

Damon raises an eyebrow. “For what?”

“I just wanted to impress you. I actually don’t know how to smoke,” Graham admits. 

The blond’s heart beats rapidly. The boy was so honest and forward sometimes! “Gram, you didn’t have to do that just to impress me,” he removes his cigarette from his lips, puffing out a large cloud of smoke. “You’re like, the coolest person I know. So technically, you’ve already impressed me,”

“Really? How so?” Graham giggles.

Damon moves closer to him so that he can get a full view of Graham’s face below him. “Mmm, well where do I even begin?” He holds his hands out as if he’s reading a book and scanning through the pages. “Let’s see...ah there it is! Graham Coxon! Well, it says here that you’re kind, caring and loving. You’ve got the prettiest brown eyes someone could ever wish for and a smile worth a million diamonds,”

“Even with my braces?”

Damon grins. “Even with your braces. I can’t express how much you mean to me, Graham. I really can’t. You’re my best friend and I’ll always think you’re cool no matter what happens,”

“Aw, Dames, you’re too much,” traces of pink tickle onto Graham’s cheeks, forcing him to smile bashfully. He feels so sweet and good that he doesn’t even think before he slowly starts to rise up from the ground. He sits on his knees, looking Damon in the eyes. “I uh...earlier, in your backyard, what I mean to say was...well, what I mean to say is...I think I-I can’t really say it but, well, I can just,” Blushing, he briefly presses his lips against Damon’s. It was just a quick kiss but he notices that Damon tastes like smoke and lemons. His eyes close tightly and once he pulls away for the first time, he quickly tenses up, wondering what Damon’ll say and think. “Yeah, that’s what I wanted to say but, in the form of you know, yeah. I’m sorry I’m just nervous and-“

“Graham.” Damon’s tone is serious and he can’t quite read his face. So when the blond reaches out to touch his cheek, Graham flinches a little. “Graham, that’s exactly how I feel too. Gosh,”

“Then why didn’t you say anything? Christ, it would have saved me a lot of anxiety,” Graham rolls his eyes while smiling. This was so typical of Damon.

“I get scared too ya know? I was worried it would ruin what we had,”

“It obviously hasn’t,” the brunette mutters.

Damon tucks a strand of loose hair behind Graham’s ear. “I tried giving you signs!”

“Like what?”

“C’mon don’t tell me you didn’t notice!” The oldest chuckles. “Remember in the woods the other day? I kissed you on the cheek? That was my way of telling you I liked you.” He starts chewing on the end of his joint, a bad habit of his. “And I keep on holding your hand, how can you not have noticed I fancied you?”

“You... fancy me?”

Damon blushes deeply. “How can I not?”

Graham pulls his knees to his chest and dryly sighs. “Well, guess I’m gay now,”

Damon bites down hard on his tongue to the point where he almost draws blood, to prevent himself from dying of laughter. But I’m the end, he can’t hold it in anymore and he bursts into laughter, cigarette flying out of his mouth.

Graham punches him on the shoulder, looking a bit pissed. “What? M’just being honest with myself!”

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Damon grabs Graham by the collar and gently pulls him into a kiss. “You’re way too lovely,”

*

Minutes later, about half an hour to be exact, a tired Graham and Damon come stumbling back to the Albarn residence. The two boys can’t help but laugh and giggle as the quietly climb up the stairs. They also can’t keep their hands off of each other; Graham’s hands were in Damon’s hair, fussing around with it and curling it with his fingers. Damon’s hands were wrapped around Graham’s shoulders tightly. From an out of context view, they looked extremely drunk but they were very sober. 

Damon’s face is merely inches away from Graham’s and he wants nothing but to close the space between them. But it’s the brunette that does so. His kisses are a bit sloppy and inexperienced but Damon figures they could work on that later. What matters now is that these feeling were mutual and real. 

Once the two boys reach the top of the stairs, Graham launches himself at Damon, who emits a quiet grunting sound. “Grem, are you alright?” He whispers softly into the boy’s ear. Graham shivers at the feeling of Damon’s warm breath against his skin.

“Mhm,” He answers, coolly wrapping his arms around the blond's neck.

The latter creaks his bedroom door open stealthily. The last thing he wants is for his parents to wake up and find out he’s been out for the past hour while he was supposed to be in bed. He drops Graham on his feet and closes the door behind them and flicks on the bedside lamp. The youngest boy sits on the edge of the bed and peels his sweater off, chucking it to one corner of Damon’s room. 

“Aren’t you going to change before you go to bed Graham?” Damon asks, folding his arms. 

Graham, already half asleep, groans. “I haven’t got a change of clothes Damon,” he yawns, getting cozy under the covers.

Damon makes a line for his closet and throws an extra shirt and pajama bottoms at Graham. “You can wear these,”

The brunette hums and acts as if he didn’t hear him. 

“You’re not going to want to sleep in corduroy pants Grem, that’s the most uncomfortable feeling in the world. Besides wet socks of course,” Damon states, changing into his night clothes. He holds Graham by the arms and forcefully tugs him out of bed. “Come on, up we go,”

“Fine...” The brunette snatches the clothes from the bed and before he takes his shirt off, he stares at Damon.

“What?” The blond questions, looking a bit confused.

Graham turns pink. “Close your eyes,”

“This isn’t kindergarten, I’m not going to make fun of you,” 

Graham insists. “I don’t care, close your eyes!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll close my eyes,” Damon shuts his lids, putting his hands on his eyes.

“And turn around?” Graham adds.

Damon chuckles and sighs, and does as told. Behind him, he can hear the jingle of Graham’s belt being taken off and then the soft sound of his pants hitting the floor. The last thing he makes out before opening his eyes is Graham’s shirt being tossed on the ground. “Can I open my eyes now?”

“Mkay,” 

The blond's eyes flutter open and he turns to face his friend. He flushes, seeing his very own clothes being worn by Graham. “You look lovely,” he kisses the youngest boy’s cheek.

Graham jumps into bed with excitement, accompanied by Damon. They lay next to each other in silence before their hands creep into one another’s.

“Day,”

“Yes, Gray?”

“I’m going to need you after school tomorrow,” Graham says softly.

Damon furrows his brows. “Why?”

“Well, remember that painting of you I’m doing in art class?”

That’s right. He completely forgot Graham’s painting. “Yes?”

“I need to finish it this week and I just want you to be there so I can make sure I’ve, you know, got it down right,”

“Sure thing Gram,” Damon’s agrees. “Anything for you,” He kisses the top of his forehead.

“Ew...Damon, don’t be so cheesy, it’s gross!” Graham says while smiling and yawning at the same time.

Damon grins and pulls the bedsheets over the two of them. "You should sleep Grem, we've got school tomorrow,"

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," He kisses the top of Graham's forehead. "G'night Gra,"

 

 


End file.
